Latest HR trends in logistics revealed

What growth potential and manpower trends do you foresee in the industry in the months to come?

Trang Nguyen, country head of Permanent Recruitment and Executive Search at ManpowerGroup Vietnam

According to the 2021 Emerging Markets Logistics Index released by leading logistics company Agility, Vietnam achieved remarkable progress last year. It jumped three places to eighth position in the global index of emerging logistics markets after becoming a popular manufacturing hub in the region. The country had an overall score of 5.67 out of 10 for 2021.

The report also revealed that Vietnam is considered a desirable manufacturing destination as a small number of companies look to ease their dependence on Chinese production.

On a national scale, the industry has been growing at 12-14 per cent annually and is now worth up to $42 billion. It is expected that by 2025, the contribution of the logistics industry will account for 8-10 per cent of GDP.

As global trade is recovering, there is lots of room for logistics companies to grow. However, significant opportunities come with big challenges. This has led to the emergence of urgent trends in terms of human resources management.

What are logistics employers looking for to meet their requirements amid the rising need for upskilling and cross-training?

Acknowledging that skill shortage is the Achilles' heel of the current workforce, logistics employers are looking for strategic and sustainable development strategies to fill the gap in labour demand.

Instead of shopping for available talent in the market, many employers now focus on educational institutions to find graduates to satisfy their skill requirements. They have also been involved in building course curriculums and offering career workshops to students. These activities are beneficial to both the young workforce and employers as they save time and effort by connecting the right talent with the right companies.

As an innovative global workforce solutions provider, ManpowerGroup realises that skills development is a must-have benefit that workers expect from companies as they switch their goals from surviving to thriving at work. 81 per cent of global employees expect training programmes from their employers to improve their resilience and employability, according to ManpowerGroup’s latest whitepaper The Great Realisation.

Have you seen any changes in intangible employee benefits for the global workforce after the pandemic?

The health crisis has made workers all over the world reconsider what makes them committed to a job besides wages and benefits. This is also true in the logistics industry where it is not unusual to work overtime under high pressure, particularly during peak periods such as holiday seasons or flash-sales days.

As revealed in The Great Realisation report, “People want employers to offer more and prioritise wellbeing and purpose while providing flexibility, competitive pay, and good working conditions. Many also expect a stronger stance on socioeconomic issues, as shared values matter.”

As a result, logistics employers who fail to understand their employees’ needs will struggle to execute their strategies and need to prepare to lose talent to companies that will.

What are the most efficient ways for logistics companies to develop a scalable workforce to increase their flexibility and adaptability amid skill shortages?

If there is one thing that logistics companies have learnt, it is the need to be adaptable. Fluctuations in demand, consumers’ shopping habits changing overnight, and other uncertainties have resulted in an increased need for a scalable workforce.

One of the most efficient ways to develop this is by using temporary and seasonal workers. There are benefits to having temporary staff available to fill in gaps and full-time employees to focus on core aspects of the logistics process to avoid work overload and burnout.

In recent years, ManpowerGroup Vietnam has helped many companies in logistics and forwarding services across the country succeed by providing staffing and outsourcing services to meet their diverse demands. Our flexible and innovative workforce solutions have helped reduce the burden of human resource management, assisting our clients to meet the specific talent needs of projects and focus on their business strategies.