UK hiring demand report:
Transportation Sector
2025 Preview
Trends in data compiled by Adzuna reveal how the transportation industry is evolving amid ongoing challenges. This report analyses recruitment data from the past 18 months, highlighting shifts in roles, regions, benefits, and expectations for 2025.
Year over year transportation vacancies (’23 vs ’24)
With 4 of the last months showing positive growth in Transportation job vacancies and a YoY increase seen in September, are we seeing signs that the sector is on the up? These hiring patterns and last month’s growth point to an earlier start than usual to the peak holiday and retail season.
Top transportation vacancies
Our analysis of key roles reveals significant trends over the past 20 months. Cargo handlers consistently lead in vacancies, with notable peaks in March and November 2023, suggesting seasonal influences, though not matched precisely in 2024. Lorry driver positions show stability but increase during the fall, likely due to pre-holiday shipping demands. Delivery driver roles, while fewer in number, saw a marked rise in late 2023, reflecting the growth of e-commerce. Supervisor and forklift operator positions exhibit distinct patterns, with supervisor vacancies peaking in early 2024 and forklift operator demand trending upward recently.
Year over year growth by region (’23 vs ’24)
The demand for transportation talent by region was broken down by the change in vacancies per state from Q3 ‘23 to Q3 ’24. The regions that grew the most can be accredited to a variety of infrastructure projects and different initiatives, which are further listed below. The regions that decreased in demand the most include Wales, South East England, and North East England.
Where transportation demand is strongest
For all these regions, the significant growth in transportation talent demand likely reflects broader economic expansion, changes in consumer behaviour, and the need to modernise and expand transportation infrastructure. The pandemic may have also played a role in reshaping transportation needs and supply chains, contributing to increased demand for talent in this sector.
What’s driving growth?
There are a variety of reasons as to why we believe these regions are seeing the highest level of growth for the demand for transportation talent.
Northern Ireland
- Investment in port infrastructure: Belfast Harbour has committed £254 million of investment by 2035. These investments are creating jobs in port operations, logistics, and maritime transportation.1
- Sustainable transport initiatives: Like other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland is investing in sustainable transport solutions, creating new roles in areas such as electric vehicle infrastructure and green logistics.2
- Cross-border trade focus: The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement has led to the establishment of the Trader Support Service (TSS) in Northern Ireland. This free service helps businesses move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, creating new roles in customs procedures, supply chain management, and logistics.3
North East
- Advanced manufacturing growth: The North East has a strong manufacturing sector, particularly in automotive and offshore industries, which is driving demand for specialized transportation and logistics services.4
- Port development: The Port of Mobile enters fourth phase of $104M container terminal expansion. These developments are creating jobs in port operations, logistics, and associated transportation roles.5
- Digital and tech sector growth: Newcastle’s Helix development, a £350 million innovation quarter, is home to the National Innovation Centre for Data. This growth in the tech sector is driving demand for modern logistics solutions, including last-mile delivery services and smart transportation systems.6
Yorkshire and The Humber
- Infrastructure investments: The region is focusing on improving connectivity and transportation infrastructure. This includes upgrades to the Transpennine route, which will enhance connectivity and create job opportunities in the transportation sector.7
- Focus on sustainable transportation: The region is embracing sustainable transportation initiatives, including investments in clean energy and green technologies. This shift is creating new roles in the transportation sector related to sustainable and low-carbon transport solutions.8
- Advanced manufacturing growth: The region is home to the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, which hosts facilities for companies like McLaren Automotive and Boeing. McLaren’s £50 million innovation and manufacturing facility, opened in 2018, has created over 200 jobs and is driving demand for specialized transportation and logistics services.9
Scotland
- Green transport initiatives: Scotland’s ambitious climate change legislation sets a target date for net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045 driving investments in sustainable transport solutions, creating new roles in areas such as electric vehicle infrastructure and low-carbon logistics.10
- Renewable energy sector growth: Scotland’s offshore wind sector is booming, with projects like the Seagreen offshore wind farm off the Angus coast. This project alone is expected to create around 400 jobs during construction and 85 long-term operations jobs, many of which will be in specialized marine transportation roles.11
- Rural connectivity initiatives: The Scottish Government’s £500 million investment in bus priority infrastructure includes projects like the £40 million Aberdeen Rapid Transit system. This initiative is creating jobs in public transport planning, operations, and maintenance, particularly focused on connecting rural areas to urban centers.12
Benefits
The benefits landscape in the transportation industry has evolved significantly, reflecting changing workforce priorities. Tuition reimbursement saw a notable rise, highlighting a focus on employee development. A remarkable shift is seen in flexible working arrangements. Conversely, some benefits like enhanced maternity leave and gym memberships experienced declines.
Seasonal benefits
- Flexible working arrangements dramatically increased from January 2024, more than doubling compared to 2023 levels, with notable growth in summer.
- Paid Time Off peaks during summer (July-August) and again in October-November, while enhanced maternity/paternity leave shows significant growth, especially in May.
- Gym membership offerings rise during summer months, reflecting a focus on employee well-being.
Correlation with job demand
- There’s a slight positive correlation between job vacancies and Paid Time Off in 2023, particularly in Q4. However, this trend doesn’t continue into 2024.
- The dramatic increase in flexible working arrangements starting January 2024 aligns with stable job demand, suggesting employers are leveraging flexibility to attract talent in a competitive market.
- Job demand gradually rises from May to September 2024, correlating with increased Paid Time Off and gym memberships. Enhanced maternity/paternity leave peaks in May, reflecting a strategic focus on benefits during this upward trend in job demand.
Outlook for the future
Overall, the transportation job market is expected to continue evolving in response to various challenges and opportunities. While growth may be moderate compared to previous years, certain areas are likely to see increased demand.
1
Technological integration
The rise of autonomous vehicles and AI-driven logistics is creating opportunities for specialised engineers, technicians, and data analysts.
2
Sustainability focus
Growing emphasis on green transportation is driving demand for electric vehicle specialists, alternative fuel experts, and environmental compliance officers.
3
Supply chain resilience
The need for robust and flexible supply chains is increasing demand for risk management experts, supply chain analysts, and multi-modal transportation planners.
4
Last-mile innovation
E-commerce growth is fueling opportunities in urban logistics coordination, drone operations, and customer experience specialisation for last-mile delivery.
Our 8 key takeaways
Here are some critical takeaways to help you navigate this evolving environment.
1
Lorry Driver shortages & retention issues
The sector continues to face a shortage of qualified Lorry drivers, worsened by an ageing workforce and reduced influx of EU talent post-Brexit, leading to more competition for available drivers.
2
Regulatory compliance
New regulations related to sustainability and emissions targets are creating complexities for companies, requiring them to adapt quickly while managing compliance costs and operational changes.
3
Economic volatility
Rising inflation and fluctuating fuel prices are straining profit margins, forcing companies to reassess pricing strategies and operational efficiencies to maintain competitiveness.
4
Supply chain disruptions
Ongoing global supply chain challenges, including port congestion and delays, continue to affect logistics operations, leading to uncertainty in delivery timelines and customer satisfaction.
5
Brexit adaptions
The presidential election is injecting caution into hiring decisions, with potential fluctuations in freight volumes and supply chain configurations affecting job market stability pre and post election.
6
Sustainability focus
The UK’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions is driving an increase in demand for expertise in green technologies and sustainable logistics solutions, influencing hiring strategies across the sector.
7
Technology integration
The increasing adoption of automation, AI, and data analytics is creating new roles and requiring upskilling of the existing workforce, particularly in areas like warehouse automation and smart transportation systems.
8
E-commerce growth
The continued rise of online retail is driving demand for last-mile delivery services, especially with the holiday season coming up, and creating new roles in urban logistics and distribution centres.
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Adzuna has the most complete index of UK job vacancies, based on every job vacancy advertised online in the UK from over 1,000 sources. This data is then normalized, de-duplicated, mix-adjusted and outliers are removed in real time to give an accurate, complete, up to the minute view of the job market. These insights have been collected from tracking advertised vacancies, average advertised salaries, competition for jobs, trending roles, time to fill positions, and more.
Resources
- https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/news/2035vision-241/ ↩︎
- https://isni.gov.uk/app/uploads/2022/01/Infrastructure-2050-draft-Investment-Strategy-for-Northern-Ireland-FINAL.pdf ↩︎
- https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/content/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement ↩︎
- https://www.investni.com/international-business/our-sectors/advanced-manufacturing-and-engineering ↩︎
- https://lgi.laufer.com/news/port-of-mobile-enters-fourth-phase-of-104m-container-terminal-expansion/ ↩︎
- https://www.newcastlehelix.com/visit/the-rise-of-newcastle-helix—construction-and-investment ↩︎
- https://www.productivity.ac.uk/news/productivity-gap-challenge-for-yorkshire-humberside-and-the-north-east/ ↩︎
- https://www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade/yorkshire-green/about ↩︎
- https://harworthgroup.com/projects/advanced-manufacturing-park/ ↩︎
- https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/ ↩︎
- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-67126815 ↩︎
- https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/500-million-for-bus-priority-infrastructure/ ↩︎