As of June, those working in the transportation and warehousing sector is up 8.1% compared with the same month as last year, based on data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics (CES) show. Although this is a positive turn for the sector, experts note the challenges that warehouse operations are facing in terms of staffing still remain.
“Many of the companies I am engaging with right now are feeling a severe impact of the labor shortages. Many are struggling with finding qualified labor,” says Doug Houghton, smart factory development manager of food and beverage for JBT Corp., Chalfont, Pa. “Oftentimes within the [distribution centers] (DCs) and manufacturing, the need is not just finding a ‘warm body’ to operate a forklift but finding operators that are skilled enough to be able to load/unload pallet racking or load/unload trailers without damage to either the infrastructure or the product.