The logistics sector has expanded by 190,000 employees since 2019 and has driven the creation of a further 125,000 jobs in regional economies, research suggests.
The sector, with its focus on transporting goods to consumers, is one of the fastest-growing in Britain because of the popularity of online shopping, which boomed over the course of the pandemic.
The number of jobs in logistics has doubled since 2012, according to analysis commissioned by Amazon and carried out by Frontier Economics, a consultancy. Jobs are distributed across all regions of the UK, with many in non-urban areas, researchers said, but logistics jobs were half as likely as the average job in another sector to be based in London.
Sarah Snelson, director of Frontier Economics, said that the sector played an important role in the government’s ambitions to “level up” regional economic growth. She said growth in logistics jobs also created the need for other jobs in the local economy, and added: “It offers significant employment and progression opportunities, including for those individuals with limited formal qualifications.”
A shortage of lorry drivers in the aftermath of Brexit and the pandemic caused widespread supply chain disruptions at the end of last year. A cross-party group of MPs last week called for the logistics industry to “get its house in order” by improving overnight facilities for drivers and providing new training routes to improve recruitment.
Amazon said on Friday that Dave Clark, its head of logistics, would leave in July after 23 years. Clark said on Twitter: “It’s time for me to build again.”
