International logistics and supply chain salary survey

Career opportunity is a key reason behind career choice. In the war for talent, companies within the logistics industry must invest more in a strong HR strategy to improve the 'attraction of the employer' to 'employer of choice'.

The International Logistics Salary Survey being conducted by Europhia Consulting has had a good feedback - over 1,200 participants from over 35 countries.

Based on current response Europhia Consulting would like to share an interesting first observation. While 'salary' remains a key criterion when making a career choice, 'career opportunity' is actually a more dominant factor in all regions.

It is important for employees to be clear on career development within a company and be able to see opportunities for both personal growth and professional career development.

However, there are clear differences between key regions when it comes to the third reason for making a career choice. European respondents view 'corporate culture' as the third most important factor in making a career move.

Asian respondents look for 'management recognition'. Americans are concerned with 'company reputation' in choosing to work for a particular company.

Europhia Consulting says that the market for labour resources within the sector is heating up further within a strong growing international economy. This will result in an increase in competition for talent from within and outside the logistics sector.

Therefore, companies should be aware of these trends and accept them as the 'operating environment' of years to come. Survey results clearly show that besides offering competitive market salary packages there are other factors, such as offering employees clear career opportunities, which are important for an employer to consider as part of his or her HR strategy. These factors help attract and retain talented human capital.

In the Nineties, the buzzword was 'employability' of individuals to better equip themselves with relevant skills and experience for the labour market. Today, it is about 'the attraction of the employer', in describing what companies must do to be recognised as an 'employer of choice'.

Eelco Dijkstra, managing director of Europhia Consulting, advises clients to invest in a robust HR strategy to promote the employer's marketability in the industry. He has termed this as 'employerbility'.

Current developments indicate that in today's labour market it is the employer who must invest time and effort to develop a strong HR strategy to promote his marketability. This is what leads to attracting and retaining talent.

A summary report with final results of this international salary survey will be sent out to clients by the end of this month. The report will provide comparisons and trends related to salaries, working hours, and career motivations between regions, age groups, and job levels.

In the months ahead, Europhia Consulting will provide further research from various surveys it has been conducting with various universities to help its clients with more information to better manage this development.

Mr Borg, MCIPS (Stam), MIM, MILT (UK), is a trainer and consultant in logistics and supply chain management. He is also director and managing consultant of Support & Supply Management (SSM) Group Ltd (www.ssmgroup.org ). The group represents the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport of the UK (www.ciltuk.org.uk ).