World Bank Studies: Logistics Competencies, Skills, and Training (ePub)

Despite the spread of automation and new supply chain management paradigms, logisticsremains dependent on a rather specific set of skills and competencies, whether for managerial,administrative, or blue-collar jobs, such as trucking or warehousing. This dependence implies that thelogistical performance of businesses, industries, and nation states is strongly influenced by the quantityand quality of the workforce. Insufficient resources of a competent and properly trained workforce inlogistics adversely affect the quality of service, reduce productivity in sectors dependent on logistics,and ultimately reduce trade competitiveness.While other interventions that affect logistics performance—such as international infrastructures,trade corridors, regulations, and services—have already been reviewed extensively, this report is thefirst to cover the contributions of human resources and explore how to develop skills and improvecompetencies, especially in developing countries. The study proposes a framework for the skillsneeded according to the logistics activity (such as transportation or warehousing) or the type andlevel of responsibility.Based on several sources, including recent surveys carried out by the World Bank and the KühneLogistics University, the report uncovers where the skills constraints are according to the type of job orcountries. Findings include that logistics is an industry struggling to hire skilled workers, although withdifferences between developed countries (where trucker shortages are more acute) and developingeconomies (where managerial shortages are more widespread). Typically, blue-collar logistics jobshave lower status and lower pay than blue-collar jobs in other industries; they are thus less attractivefor skilled workers. In developing countries with a potentially available workforce, lack of vocationalpreparation for careers in logistics means that less-skilled workers are not easily re-skilled. Logisticstasks at the upper end of the occupational hierarchy and those with high information technologycontent often require an upskilling of employees to keep pace with new technology. Yet the problem isnot confined to recruitment. The surveys point to limited resources, money, and staff time allocated totraining, especially in developing countries.Realizing the promise of quality jobs from the growth of logistics worldwide requires a coordinatedeffort by logistics companies, professional associations, training providers, and policy makers.Through a combination of facilitation, regulation, advice, financial instruments, and land use planning,governments can exert significant influence.