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THIS IS ONE OF THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY CONDUCTED BY TRANSCALIT – SERTRALIT ON THE INTEGRATION OF WOMEN INTO THE TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS SECTOR IN CATALONIA.

Transcalit – Sertralit has conducted a study to identify the main obstacles currently preventing women and young people from entering the transportation and logistics sector. The report “Women’s Integration into the Transportation and Logistics Industry in Catalonia: Seeking New Talent” is the result of a series of surveys conducted with companies and workers in the transportation and logistics sector in Catalonia. From the questionnaire responses, significant conclusions have been drawn, allowing for the proposal of initiatives to begin addressing one of the main existing problems: out of the total workforce in the sector, only 17% are women.

Furthermore, it is an aging professional group: 70% of workers are over 46 years old, and they are mostly men, while 64% of the surveyed women are under 45 years old. This shows that there is no generational succession, and in a few years, the transportation and logistics sector will experience an even greater shortage of labor. For this reason, it is essential to begin incorporating women and young people, but to achieve this, it is vital that the sector becomes attractive to new generations, especially, and to society in general.

The Federation emphasizes that to attract talent to the sector, it is essential to go where it is found: in Catalan high schools and universities, where, in an educational way, it can be demonstrated that, thanks to new technologies, the transportation and logistics sector can reverse its male-dominated trend. Additionally, pedagogy needs to focus on two other realities. On one hand, it is a sector with job stability (62% of surveyed workers have been employed for over six years, and 20% for over 21 years). On the other hand, it provides the opportunity for a career with attractive salaries.

Another area for improvement highlighted in the study is related to the need to enhance work-life balance, a crucial and highly valued aspect by women and young people. It is essential to find solutions because it is proven to be the main obstacle to the widespread integration of female talent and new generations into the sector.

The study shows that companies face difficulties in filling vacancies: 92% report having had problems hiring professionals in the last five years. The problem does not lie in the lack of qualifications or experience but rather in the shortage of applicants, as pointed out by 7 out of 10 companies.

Therefore, the study by Transcalit – Sertralit identifies that the top priority solutions to facilitate the entry of women and young people into the sector are: improving the sector’s social image, promoting it in educational institutions, and enhancing work-life balance.