Pressure on labour costs inevitable

Cargo moves seemingly effortlessly thanks only to the very hard work that goes on behind the scenes by hundreds and thousands of dedicated staff, says British International Freight Association director general Peter Quantrill. “However, over the next decade I think we cannot ignore the growing issues and costs associated with staffing our industry. “As transport hardware, to say nothing of growing customer demands, grow more and more sophisticated and IT grows and develops its capabilities apace, we need more highly trained and skilled staff than ever. And with this comes higher salaries.” With mechanisation and growing labour-saving equipment, very little physical labour is now required to move the world’s freight, says Quantrill. “Now brainpower is as important as brawn in handling goods. The issue is not in attracting top graduates to freight forwarding as many Bifa members can offer top-class career opportunities and positions. The issue is that other sectors – banking, the media, travel and manufacturing – offer equally top-class career opportunities. “Freight forwarders, by definition, work in a global environment and, thanks to increasingly liberal labour laws throughout much of the world, graduates can move freely around the globe. This is a strategic opportunity that can only grow in the next decade as managers can seek talent from all over the globe and graduates in turn can seek work wherever they want to go. “In the end, it will come down to attracting and retaining the brightest and best labour available. However it is done, I just know it will not be cheap.”