News / How to attract young talent into an 'invisible' industry is the challenge

The personnel shortage plaguing the logistics industry is becoming increasingly challenging, delegates heard at this year’s WCS in Hong Kong. 

At the opening plenary, the chairman of Hong Kong Airport Authority, Jack So, stressed the importance of air cargo, dubbing it “the backbone of commerce and trade”.  

However, the industry is suffering a workforce shortage, with particular concern for the future due to the lack of women and young people entering. 

And at yesterday’s ‘people in air cargo’ panel, CEO of Hactl Wilson Kwong said: “In our industry, it is becoming an increasingly big challenge for us. Particularly after Covid, it has been difficult to attract and retain talent.” 

He explained that adapting to the requirements of employees was essential to retaining talent, noting that work/ life balance and flexible shift patterns were increasingly important to the younger generation.  

“As employers, you have no choice but to go along with it,” he said. 

Business development manager at CHI Group Janina Meininger suggested that a contributing factor could be that air cargo was unlike other industries in that it doesn’t manifest as a physical product. 

Automotive, for example, produces a physical product people can engage with, therefore increasing publicity and attraction, which can lead to interest in pursuing a career within that sector.  

Air cargo, however, is invisible, he said; people work hard behind the scenes to get a product from A to B. The journey is often not considered when engaging with an end product. This has meant a limited number of people consider a career in logistics, or even are aware what it entails. 

Indeed, the obligatory “so, how did you get into the industry?” small talk question while networking at WCS this week, nine times out of 10 elicited the reply: “By accident”. 

Ms Meininger urged stakeholders to invest in educational partnerships to communicate with young people “as soon as possible” to get them interested, a message echoed by the newly founded Cargo Collective (CC). 

Launched in November 2023, CC is a platform for young people in the industry, started by young people in the industry. It lobbies for opportunities to aid those starting a career in air cargo and offers a community for young people to connect and share ideas.  

Michelle Lawrence, director of marketing at Airline Services International and joint founder of CC, told The Loadstar on the sidelines of WCS she believed networking was a key gateway into the industry, and that more young people should attend such events.  

“There is a lot of gatekeeping within the industry,” she said. “Often, if there is a chance to go to an event, the senior leadership team of a company will take the opportunity rather than introducing newcomers.” 

But she added the industry needed to attract people from outside, and added: “We are planning  to reach out to universities and high schools, to let people hear about logistics.”  

Sam Quintelier, network development manager of cargo at Brussels Airport and joint founder of CC, told The Loadstar representation was particularly important, and having more young speakers on event panels would be a great way to relate to younger prospects intrigued about air cargo.  

Ms Meininger added: “A strong learning culture affects not only the bottom line, but also the top line, at the end of the day.”