Home > News > June 2006 > 05-Jun-2006

NI logistics sector facing critical shortages, says SfL

Skills for Logistics (SfL), the Sector Skills Council for the UK freight logistics industries, says the Northern Irish logistics sector needs to address a critical skills shortage if it wants to remain competitive.

Skills for Logistics (SfL) says it has identified a higher-than-average number of vacancies among Northern Irish employers

John Bowman, policy director of Skills for Logistics said, "At times of peak demand this year, there will be an estimated UK shortage of 15,000 LGV drivers, with the potential cost to businesses running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

"We believe Northern Ireland could be one of the worst affected places, with employers already reporting higher figures for all types of vacancies compared to other parts of the UK."

Skills for Logistics says ten per cent of employers in the Northern Irish transport and communications sector reported the existence of skills gaps. Eight per cent of NI logistics firms currently have a 'hard-to-fill vacancy' and seven per cent have a 'skills shortage vacancy', with wage competition cited as the main reason.

In addition to recruitment problems, eight per cent of firms complained of retention difficulties, highlighting social factors as a contributing factor.

Skills for Logistics has recently appointed Valda Smith, general manager of Ulster-based Bondelivery, to SfL's Board of Directors.

Smith said, "I'm delighted to be joining Skills for Logistics and hope my appointment will bring fresh focus to the very real challenges currently facing the Northern Irish logistics sector.

"I look forward to building on the good work already achieved by the Skills Council to provide Northern Irish logistics companies with practical and realistic advice on how best to close the skills gap."

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