Behind the ruble intern: in logistics and deliveries, the demand for employees without experience has increased

Just last year, according to hh.ru In the Transportation, logistics, warehouse, and Foreign economic activity industry, 305,000 vacancies were opened for such applicants, which is 48% more than a year earlier. Since the beginning of 2025, companies from the logistics industry have already opened about 40 thousand vacancies for such people, which is 30% less than in the same period of 2024.

The largest increase in the number of vacancies was recorded for sorters — the number of offers for candidates without experience increased by 132% year on year. The number of offers for loader drivers increased by 82%, and for storekeepers — by 81%. They are also actively looking for packers, Avito Rabota added.

By the end of 2024, pickers and order pickers, warehouse operators and storekeepers, truck drivers and logistics managers became the most in-demand personnel without work experience in the fields of cargo transportation and warehouse logistics, according to data from the analytical system for monitoring the public vacancy market and resumes conducted by the All-Russian Research Institute of Labor of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation.

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In January-February 2025, the number of vacancies in the transport and logistics industry decreased by 9%, said the deputy general director of the service "Work.<url>" and Alexander Veterkov, Chief Operating Officer of the SberPodbor service.

— This is due to the general trend of a decrease in the rate of hiring in the labor market in all industries. Today, businesses are more focused on increasing labor productivity and are expanding staff less readily," he explained.

However, by the end of 2024, salary offers in transport and logistics increased by 14% compared to 2023 and reached 87 thousand rubles per month in Russia, the industry ranked second in terms of average salary offers, second only to the construction sector.

At the same time, the average salary for the year increased most noticeably for packers without experience — it added 17% and averaged 70 thousand rubles, the SuperJob service calculated. For storekeepers, the money supply increased by 13%, on average they could count on 85 thousand rubles. Pickers and loaders were offered an average of 80 thousand rubles, which is 7% more than a year earlier.

What is the benefit?

By recruiting employees without experience, logistics companies strive to overcome the personnel shortage with minimal costs, experts interviewed by Izvestia explained. Under the influence of import substitution, the growth of industrial production, and the minimum unemployment rate, multiplied by the influence of demographic factors, the "job market of the applicant remains," explained Vladimir Smirnov, Acting Director General of the All-Russian Research Institute of Labor.

"Under these conditions, applicants have more opportunities to choose where to go to work, and employers are actively competing for staff, seeking to create competitive conditions for attracting new employees," he said. — In such a situation, the demand for people without work experience is also increasing. Companies are often willing to invest in the training and development of promising candidates, seeing in them the potential for long-term growth and strengthening of the workforce.

In addition, the active development of online commerce, the boom in marketplaces and, as a result, the expansion of the network of warehouse complexes and cargo transportation determine the constant need in these areas for employees without experience who are ready to quickly learn on the job and adapt to new tasks.

Attracting employees without experience can reduce salary costs, as such candidates are often willing to work for lower pay than experienced professionals, added Igor Rastorguev, a leading analyst at AMarkets.

— In many cases, an employer can train newcomers directly in the process of work, without having to pay for expensive training or upgrade the skills of employees. This is beneficial for companies, as it allows them to save on training courses and certifications," he said.

Employees without experience are more likely to work flexible schedules or perform a variety of tasks. This gives the company the opportunity to manage its work processes more effectively and quickly change people depending on the needs of the business, the expert added.

— Automation technologies are also being actively introduced in logistics companies, which reduces the need for highly qualified personnel. Beginners can adapt to such systems faster and perform tasks with minimal knowledge," emphasized Igor Rastorguev.

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Nevertheless, in most of these vacancies, there are still qualification requirements for an employee, Maria Khaustova-Negoda, an independent HR director and HR management adviser, drew attention. For example, having a driver's license or driving experience.

"This does not mean that they expect experience in logistics, but experience in performing a function is the key to the security of the business process itself," she said.

Who are employers choosing?

The competition for some specialists in logistics, shipping, and trucking is proving to be too high. For example, for logistics specialists in foreign economic activity, sales managers and key customer relations, there are an average of two to three responses per vacancy, candidates are being searched for several months, said Natalia Andreeva, Director of the HR Department at YTE Group.

— To stabilize the situation, we decided to invest in personnel and develop young people: we identified the necessary competencies for young specialists and specialized universities for cooperation, created a program and tests to test knowledge. Now the company is staffed, among other things, by graduates of specialized universities who had no work experience," she noted.

Freight forwarders remain in high demand in the field of cargo transportation, but it is difficult to find those who have experience in long-haul transportation and category E rights, added Marina Grinkrug, HR Director of the Monopoly logistics platform.

— It is not the first year that the number of representatives of this profession has been falling in the market, so most employers are ready not only to consider candidates without experience and conduct internal internships for them, but also to organize training at their own expense, — she noted.

Also, according to her, there is still a high demand for specialists responsible for the organization and control of logistics processes: logisticians, coordinators, managers of work with carriers. These positions are often occupied by young professionals who view them as a career start. Companies build adaptation and professional development systems for them, which often turns out to be more profitable than luring experienced employees away from competitors.

There are special training programs for personnel without experience within the company, Dmitry Khrushchalev, Deputy General Director for Development of the Business Lines Group, confirmed. According to him, more than 2.5 thousand employees undergo them annually.

Other companies are introducing mentoring for new employees, in which they are assigned an experienced employee who helps with adaptation both in the team and in the workplace, said the federal transport company Skif-Cargo.