Tentative employment outlook in Transport/Logistics sector for first quarter 2024

Net employment forecast reaches +19%, while 61% of surveyed employerst find it difficult to fill vacancies.

According to the ManpowerGroup Jobbarometer released today, hiring activity should be quite moderate in the Transportation / Logistics sector during the first quarter of 2024. Indeed, 42% of employers surveyed in this sector in October expect to expand their workforce by the end of March 2024, while nearly one in four employers (23%) plan to reduce it. 35% of the employers surveyed expect no change. After adjusting for seasonal variations, the Net Employment Forecast reaches⁽¹⁾ - or the difference between the percentage of employers planning to hire workers and the percentage of employers planning to lay off workers - a cautious value of +19%. This is a sharp drop of 16 points from the previous quarter and a status quo from the first quarter of 2023.

" Employers in the Transportation and Logistics sector are showing caution in their hiring outlook for the coming quarter," explains Sébastien Delfosse, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup BeLux. "With a Net Employment Forecast⁽¹⁾ of +19% employers report recruitment intentions significantly lower than the national average (+33%). In an uncertain environment, both economic and geopolitical, employers will start the year 2024 by continuing their transformation and focusing on retaining and attracting needed talent."

Attracting talent remains a major challenge for employers in the Transportation and Logistics sector, as 61% of employers surveyed in the Transportation and Logistics sector struggle to fill their open positions. However, while shortages in the sector are significant, they are also lower than the national average (74%).

The results of the next ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Barometer will be distributed on March 12, 2024 (Q2 2024).

Full report: www.manpowergroup.be

1. _{The Net Employment Forecast is calculated by subtracting from the percentage of employers who expect an increase in total employment the percentage of employers who expect a decrease in employment at their firm for the following quarter. Thus, this is the net balance of employment projections, which can be either positive or negative. Comments are based on seasonally adjusted data, when available.}