Feature
Issue No. 35 - June/July 2007
Logistics needs help to carry on
According to South Australia's Freight Council, mealtimes offer a good opportunity to contemplate the state's transport task.
“If you didn't grow it yourself, the Transport, Storage and Logistics industry brought it to you,” SA's peak logistics industry body says. “This industry underpins every decision you make as a consumer and keeps all Australian industry running.”
And the job is getting tougher. Not only is the load of goods increasing, but a skills shortage is already prejudicing the sector's ability to do it, the Freight Council has often warned.
Giving evidence to a Senate committee last year, the Freight Council said:
•The Transport, Storage and Logistics industry accounts for about 9% of GDP when in-house operations are included – for a $60 billion contribution to the Australian economy each year.
•The amount of freight and the distance it needs to be moved - the National Freight Task, measured in net tonne kilometres - is forecast to double by 2020.
•The industry employs more than 411,000 people nationally - 30,800 in SA - but the average age is higher than other industries at about 45, with 16% of the workforce is 55 or over. The Freight Council predicts many job opportunities for workers of all ages.
•Shortages of skilled workers are already being reported in areas such as truck and train drivers, with serious shortfalls in many other areas expected in the very near future.
•'Truck driver' is the most common occupation in Australia. Today's heavy combination driver is a trained and qualified professional, having passed numerous tests (including psychometric), in charge of equipment worth upwards of a million dollars. A good B-Double driver can earn more than $60,000 a year.
Statistics for the industry, however, are poor. The Freight Council believes its current employment figures are out of date since many people working in other industry sectors are ...
