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Tag: employment

DSV announces changes to its executive management

Posted on by David Priestman

After obtaining all regulatory clearances for DSV’s acquisition of Schenker, DSV announces the first executive leadership appointments to maintain momentum and further strengthen the commercial approach and integration efforts.

DSV adds new members to its Group Executive Committee and renames the Solutions Division to Contract Logistics. The changes will become effective after completion of the acquisition which is expected on 30 April.

While DSV’s Executive Board remains unchanged, several new members will be welcomed to the Group Executive Committee:

Helmut Schweighofer will become the new CEO of the Road Division. Schweighofer currently holds a position as CEO of Schenker’s Region Europe with 40,000 employees and a leading role within road freight; a role he has held since 2018. He succeeds Søren Schmidt, who has decided to continue his career outside DSV after three decades of dedicated service.

Vishal Sharma, currently CEO of Schenker’s Region Asia Pacific, will become the new Group CCO. Sharma brings more than 30 years of industry and global executive leadership experience to this role.He replaces Morten Landry, who will continue in DSV as CCO of DSV’s largest division, Air & Sea, from Q1 2026. Until then, Landry will remain part of DSV’s Group Commercial executive team to ensure a smooth transition.

Saskia Blochberger will join the DSV Group Executive Committee as Group Chief People Officer (CPO). Blochberger joins from her position as CPO in Schenker’s Region Europe and brings significant P&O and business strategy experience from a variety of leadership roles. After a long-standing tenure with DSV, Helle Bach, current Head of Group HR, has decided to step down and pursue new opportunities outside DSV.

Jens H. Lund, Group CEO of DSV said “I am very pleased with the strong executive team we will have in place for the next important stage in our journey as the global leader in transport and logistics. A warm welcome to Helmut Schweighofer, Vishal Sharma and Saskia Blochberger, who join our Group Executive Committee from Schenker. They all bring extensive experience and excellent leadership capabilities to drive our business forward. At the same time, I wish to thank Søren Schmidt and Helle Bach for their dedicated and long-standing contributions to DSV. And I am glad that Morten Landry will continue to drive the commercial efforts in our Air & Sea Division.”

With the acquisition of Schenker, DSV is doubling its size, creating a transport and logistics powerhouse. Based on the financials for the full-year 2024, the combined company had a pro forma revenue of approximately DKK 310 billion (£35.6 billion) and close to 160,000 employees. DSV aims to use its strengthened market position to continue to grow through enhanced service offerings and economies of scale, achieving industry-leading margins.

Completion of the transaction is expected on 30 April 2025, when DSV will also present its interim results for the first quarter of 2025 and announce further details and preliminary financial information related to the acquisition of Schenker.

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Warehousing Logistics Brexit Skills Crisis

Posted on by David Priestman

A British law firm has reported a huge rise in immigration enquiries from warehousing and logistics firms looking to employ foreign workers, as the UK’s post-Brexit skills crisis and shortage continues.

Employment lawyers at legal firm Aaron & Partners have seen a significant increase in immigration work from businesses in the sector for staff such as logistic managers, HGV mechanics, warehouse managers and HGV drivers. They added that it’s showing no signs of easing.

Adam Haines, an Immigration and Employment Law Partner, noted that while the rise in businesses applying for sponsor licences began in the wake of the UK leaving the European Union, it has become particularly prevalent over the past 12 months.

He said: “There’s a growing skills shortage in the UK and with historically low levels of unemployment, many companies are turning to other countries to address these issues. We have been working with companies, operating in the UK and entering the UK market, to assist and advise them on the processes and educate staff on the compliance obligations. We’ve seen a huge increase in demand from companies that need help to fill vacancies. The shortages are particularly acute in the warehousing and logistics sector, where we’re working hard to help companies bring in skilled drivers, operators and more.”

The rise in enquires comes as labour shortages continue to impact the sector, combining with the cost of living crisis engulfing the UK. Haines, said that he hoped that the pending trade agreements (particularly the imminent Australian trade agreement) due to come into force later this year should incorporate a mobility deal to simplify the process of hiring expertise and personnel from Australia.
He added that as well as warehousing, shortages are most prevalent in manufacturing and healthcare.

Freedom of movement between the UK and EU was ended in 2020, following Brexit. Now, regardless of their country of origin, foreign nationals looking for employment in the UK must gain a valid visa route, for which there are various requirements. For business to hire foreign nationals they must have a sponsor licence.

Businesses are now contacting Aaron & Partners for help processing these applications as quickly as possible and to ensure that they are aware of their compliance obligations. Haines added: “We know this is a massive concern for many businesses right now. Brexit may have been voted for over six years ago, but much of its impact is really being felt now due to the restraints it placed on immigration, which has contributed to the current skills shortage here. This is an ongoing issue that isn’t going away – and we think it will run throughout 2023 and beyond. Currently there is a major lack of understanding and awareness as to (i) what recruiting foreign nationals entails, (ii) businesses compliance obligations are and also (iii) whether workers based in other countries can work temporarily in the UK as a visitor.”

Logistics sector shows strong worker retention rate

Posted on by David Priestman

New research from Totaljobs reveals that over 2 million UK workers are planning on changing jobs before Christmas. In fact, 6% of the UK workforce are already on their notice period, whilst a further 26% actively job hunting as the labour market kicks into gear and workers plan their next career move.

Totaljobs has analysed more than 4.2 million job changes from 2015 onwards, and surveyed nearly 4,500 jobseekers from the Totaljobs database alongside 2,000 UK workers via Opinium, to provide the UK’s most comprehensive overview of career change trends. The survey reveals retention rates for specific sectors, with Logistics seeing a strong proportion of people staying within the sector (49%). Logistics workers spend on average 10.1 years in the industry and 7.2 years with the same employer, which is just below the averages across all industries.

The research shows not only an increase in people starting new jobs in the months ahead, but an expected rise in industry-hopping, with 75% of jobseekers from the Totaljobs database reporting they are more likely to consider working in a different industry following Covid-19. For those that already switched industry during the last year, less than one in five (18%) plan to move back to their previous industry.

Retention and loyalty vary significantly by industry

Totaljobs’ analysis of 4.2 million job changes from 2015 onwards shows that 52% of job moves involve switching to a different industry altogether, while 48% remain in the same industry. Some sectors report higher retention rates than others, with Totaljobs’ career changes analysis revealing people in HR are more likely to stay within the sector when securing a new job (64%), followed by Design (62%) and IT (62%). Looking at the total number of job moves within each industry, the following sectors saw the highest proportion of people leaving: The Military (47%), Advertising (42%), Public Sector, Farming and agriculture and Charity (all 41%).

How loyal someone is to their employer also varies significantly between industries, with Public Sector and Policing staff staying with the same employer for an average of 8.9 years, followed by Arts and Entertainment employees (8.8 years on average). At the other end of the scale, Marketing and PR employers see staff stay with the company for the shortest amount of time, at 5.5 and 5.6 years respectively.

Cross-industry career switching set to increase

Looking ahead, a quarter of workers (25%) plan to change jobs in the next two years, with an estimated 3.5 million planning on changing industry. When looking at specific industries, 49% of those working in construction are actively looking for jobs or are on their notice period, along with 41% of those in administration and 38% in IT.

When considering the motivations for future career moves, the majority (57%) of jobseekers cited work-life balance as the key reason, above a higher salary (52%) and learning new skills (38%). The impact of the pandemic on work priorities can also be seen in that over three quarters of people (76%) say work-life balance is now more important to them.

Career changes in the Covid era

Candidate research showed a third (34%) of people who started work in a different industry during the Covid era cited were driven to switch industries out of necessity – reflecting the impact of the pandemic on business operations, consumer demand levels, and employment opportunities across the UK. For others, the desire to do something different (24%) was the main motivator, followed by better work-life balance (24%), not enjoying their role (21%), as well as to earn a higher salary, learning new skills, or due to a lack of available roles in their previous industry (all 19%).

Jon Wilson, CEO of Totaljobs, said: “Our research shows that for many people, the career ladder isn’t so linear anymore; career shifts and job changes are commonplace. With Covid-19 changing our day-to-day working lives, people are increasingly searching for work-life balance, flexibility or simply for a job they can get more satisfaction out of, and they’ll look to other industries to find it.

“With a record number of job vacancies this summer, many industries who had to hit pause on their hiring in the height of the pandemic are now experiencing labour shortages, and these are likely to continue in the coming months. Businesses with an urgent hiring need should make sure they’re getting the basics right when attracting talent. Job adverts that include essential pieces of information like a clear job title, location, salary and ways of working are more likely to win applications.

“Equally, employers must be clear about what their business is bringing to the table beyond the remit of a role, whether that’s remote working, wellbeing programmes or training initiatives. Consider how you can attract the three quarters of people considering a career change, and pitch the unique benefits of your industry – especially if you can offer candidates something their previous sector couldn’t.”

For employers wanting to learn more about trends in career changes over time, the industries people are moving between, as well as retention rates across sectors, see Totaljobs’ free interactive Career Change Tracker here.

 

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