Jon Divers, Customer Service Director, Jungheinrich UK considers how the demand for skilled workers provides a significant opportunity to combat the rising levels of unemployment and concerns over future generations falling behind due to the pandemic, while cultivating a workforce with the essential skills needed for future development.
The pandemic has caused considerable disruption to the UK economy, and with that, unemployment has increased considerably. At the end of 2020, unemployment was at 5%, with experts predicting this is likely to increase to 7.5% by mid-2021, with 2.6 million people unemployed.
Many sectors have experienced difficulties, however, some have thrived off the drastic changes to consumer behaviour and demands. The take-up within logistics has soared to record-breaking levels, as retailers sought to keep up with the surge in demand for online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic. With that, the demand for skilled workers is rapidly growing, however, with the industry constantly evolving and incorporating new technologies, the skills gap is increasing. As the UK economy lags behind in terms of skills, productivity and innovation, it is clear that a career in this area is valuable in order to continue to encourage industry growth, increase efficiencies and support the economy.