Study on a Pilot project: Making the EU transport sector attractive - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Study on a Pilot project: Making the EU transport sector attractive for future generations

IRU workshop driver shortages – session 2: young drivers

Jasper Tanis, Paul Vroonhof & Laura de Haan 28 februari 2018

Employment in the EU transport sector

• About 10.5 million transport jobs (2014).
• Almost 3 million road transport freight sector (2014).
• As in many sectors, mismatch problems (between supply and demand)

exist in the transport labour market. Characteristics of the EU transport sector

• The connections between the labour markets of the various modes of

transport are relatively limited.

• Companies in the sector are competing with companies in other sectors of

the economy for much of their labour.

Background of the study

Macro-developments having an impact on the EU transport sector

• Population ageing.
• Transport activity is expected to grow in the future.
• Technological advances & innovation.

Developments in the EU transport sector

• Due to high number of workers retiring, skills shortages are likely to

emerge.

• Growing demand may increase pressure on a workforce that is older than

the average of the economy and with a particularly large gender imbalance.

• Due to technological advances and new tools, physical strength is

becoming less important, and at the same time social skills and service

• rientation is becoming more important.
• Mismatch problems already exist in the transport labour market and are

expected to increase.

• Mobile jobs at all levels, especially jobs that imply being away from home

for long periods, such as long haul truck drivers.

Background of the study

Need for action!

How to attract younger generations for jobs in the road transport sector?

1) What skills are needed in the road transport sector? 2) What are the perceptions of these potential employees about these jobs? 3) What actions can be taken to change the perceptions of these potential

employees in a positive manner?

• How to make the sector more attractive to young persons?
• How to enhance recruitments of young people?
• What kind of work-life balance and working conditions for young

drivers?

Questions

The study addresses two main issues:

• The extent to which the transport sector is seen as an attractive work

place by young people, given current and foreseeable labour shortages in the sector (analysis of the current situation).

• What can be done to assist the recruitment of young people to the sector,

including attracting more young women (recommendations). Scope:

• Young people with only low or medium schooling qualifications, but who

might have the motivation and soft skills that employers are increasingly seeking.

• Young women versus young men (disaggregated analysis!).

Introduction to the study

• Young people’s views on the attractiveness of the sector are complex and confused due to the fact that

they are poorly informed about what the sector does and the types of jobs available.

• Stereotypes about the transport sector as a whole but also for specific modes of transport are prevalent

among young people; these stereotypes are related to gender roles and working conditions in general as well as to specific jobs.

• Nevertheless, young women and men generally seem willing to consider transport as a possible sector of

employment, especially when provided with additional information about the diversity of transport jobs, job content and training opportunities in particular. Employers and unions are generally aware of these perceptions.

• The opportunity to travel appears to be the most attractive aspect of transport jobs - but are not a

mandatory job expectation for most young people. An important condition of this is that travel should be for short periods and within the EU.

Key findings on job expectations and perceptions

• f the transport sector

Road transport: spontaneous associations

Source: IPSOS presentation on the basis of group discussions

Communication channels:

• In terms of recruitment, many employers seem to place more reliance on suggestions from existing

employees than a systematic search of the labour market. However, when young people are looking for a job, the internet is first destination, then public employment services, followed by contacts at companies

• r social media.

Message:

• Young people (whether male or female) are looking for much the same thing, namely a combination of

reasonable pay, good work-life balance, decent working conditions and work that is interesting and not boring.

• For those with limited or no work experience, the world of work is some distance away. Emotional

disconnects seem strong in road (especially for young women).

Recruitment

EU level

• Support local level actions (instead of a general public awareness

campaign). Sector level

• Sharing good practices.
• Ensuring sector-wide recognition and dialogue on skills shortages and

recruitment challenges.

• Supporting research into the common reasons behind labour shortages

and staffing problems. Company level

• Promotional efforts on a face-to-face basis that explain what is involved in

the jobs available and help young people understand the fit between their skills and transport jobs.

How best to attract more young women and men to take up jobs in transport?

EU level

• Dissemination of strategies and good practices.

National level

• Facilitating a discussion on strategies and ways to promote jobs in the transport

sector.

• Financial support to promote social media campaigns.
• Career advise provision to young people.
• Support sector-wide initiatives.

Sector level

• Organisational responses to the communication challenges: manpower planning,

recruitment methods, human resource management, gender balance. Company level

• Confront misconceptions about what the transport sector offers: be honest, tell

real stories.

Recommendations regarding Communication

Good practice – SNEL Shared Logistics (NL)

Similar preference between young women and men in:

• Working hours (the gap in flexibility in working hours that men and women

are demanding is closing). Different preferences between young women and men in:

• Young women express a greater preference of dealing with people and

young men express a greater preference of dealing with machinery of equipment. Unfortunately!

• Few women respond positively to the prospect of a driver job.

Gender issues

Building a business case to increase the share of female employment in the road transport sector

Contact details

Paul Vroonhof

• p.vroonhof@panteia.nl

Laura de Haan

• l.de.haan@panteia.nl

Jasper Tanis

• j.tanis@panteia.nl

• Modernising labour conditions and the working environment would help to

increase the attractiveness of working in the road transport sector to younger generations!

• What labour conditions need to be modernised and what changes in the

working environment are required?

• The stereotypical image that a lot of young people have about jobs in the

road transport sector is not right!

• What actions can be taken in the sector to change this image?
• Promotion on internet and social media is required to reach younger

generations!

• Who needs to lead the promotion?
• What aspects of working in the sector need to be promoted?

Statements & Questions for debate