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- Labor Guardian: logisticians are reviewing their approach to hiring due to staff shortages
Labor Guardian: logisticians are reviewing their approach to hiring due to staff shortages
The shortage of personnel in the logistics industry has reached one million people over the past year, market participants told Izvestia. More than half of the companies assessed 2025 negatively in terms of hiring. Many employers are doing everything to retain people: they make working conditions easier, automate some of the processes, and introduce incentives. About 45% of logisticians plan to raise salaries. The methods used by the industry to combat the shortage of people and how it affects transportation are described in the Izvestia article.
Shortage of personnel in the field of logistics
More than half of logistics companies assessed the first half of 2025 negatively from the point of view of hiring, including an increase in the search time for employees, according to the service data. hh.ru and the warehouse developer GC Orientir.
Since the beginning of 2025, the shortage of personnel in the logistics industry has reached about 1 million people. According to analysts, most of all companies need drivers, pickers and couriers.
— Mass hiring remains stable: movers, storekeepers, packers are constantly required, and such positions are closed at the usual time. The situation is different in the case of narrow specialists and warehouse managers — these vacancies can remain open for months," the research director told Izvestia. hh.ru Maria Ignatova.
According to employers, the search for employees is hampered by high expectations of salary and working conditions, as well as a lack of professional skills among applicants.
In response to the growing competition for qualified personnel, over 60% of logistics companies are reviewing their approaches to personnel management. One of the main accents is a human—centered approach aimed at creating sustainable teams.
"Some companies are actively looking towards automation, giving part of the operational process to robots," said Artem Khomyshin, commercial director of the group of companies. — This allows you to remove unnecessary workload from employees, for example, when performing routine monotonous actions, and direct their focus to more creative and meaningful operations. As a result, the efficiency of the company's processes and the level of motivation of employees increases.
Employee retention has become a priority for many logistics employers — 45% of companies plan to raise salaries in the second half of 2025. Now the average income of a loader is about 60 thousand rubles, a machinist — 140 thousand, and the head of the logistics department — 136 thousand, experts estimate.
How salaries in logistics have changed
There is a steady increase in salaries in the logistics sector on the labor market, said the Deputy General Director of the Work service.<url>", Alexander Veterkov, Chief Operating Officer of the SberPodbor service. In conditions of an acute shortage of personnel, companies offer applicants extended social packages and financial bonuses.
— According to the results of the first half of 2025, the transport and logistics industry was in second place in terms of salary offers — 93.5 thousand rubles per month. And in terms of income growth, she is one of the top five," he said.
Since the beginning of June, logistics salaries have increased by a quarter compared to the same period in 2024, to an average of 90 thousand rubles, said Andrey Kucherenkov, director of the Avito Jobs category of workers and linear professions.
— The master receptionist receives an average of 98 thousand rubles, the loader — 62 thousand rubles. And in terms of the dynamics of the number of vacancies, the marking profession is in the lead: the number of offers has increased by 42% since the beginning of summer 2025 compared to the same period last year. This is due to the development of e-commerce and the increasing need for labeling products," the expert explained.
The demand for logistics services in Russia increased by 18% in summer compared to spring, said Evgenia Lazareva, head of the Transport services category at Avito Services. Most often, customers apply for intercity transportation services.
Natalia Pronyakina, HR Director of the PEC, noted that the industry lacks primarily line staff. Loader drivers in warehouses are in the first place: their deficit in logistics companies is 34%. There are also not enough storekeepers and pickers (31%), and among office staff there are call center operators (12%) and sales managers with expertise in logistics (12%).
There is also a shortage of freight transport drivers, especially in the segment of intercity delivery in Moscow and St. Petersburg - 30%.
Among logistics employees, one in four belongs to the 25-35 age group, Eva Klimentenko, head of the personnel Department at the Skif-Cargo federal transport company, told Izvestia.
— Young employees work in all key areas: from operational positions to managerial roles. Among them are freight forwarders, warehouse staff, including managers, logistics specialists with managerial functions, and IT developers," the expert noted.
She confirmed that the Russian logistics industry is experiencing an acute personnel crisis, which forces employers to look for innovative approaches to attracting employees.
What kind of specialists are missing in logistics
Logistics companies are taking a comprehensive approach to solving the problem of a shortage of people, Dmitry Khrushchalev, Deputy General Director for Development at Business Lines Group, told Izvestia.
— We make every effort to create comfortable conditions both at the stage of entry of a specialist into the team and during work. Employees are given the opportunity for professional growth — there are online and offline professional development courses for this. A driver can become the head of a convoy, move to the position of a mechanic or an economical driving coach. For example, our company has a referral program called "Bring a friend" — we accepted 15% of the staff thanks to it," he said.
In addition, according to Dmitry Khrushchev, companies cooperate with educational institutions — they introduce students to the logistics industry through lectures during career days.
Storekeepers, pickers of goods and operators of the warehouse management information system remain the most scarce specialties in warehouse logistics, said Irina Pak, HR Director of the NC Logistic logistics operator.
— Any logistics company is faced with the task of not only finding, but also retaining such a specialist. If at first something does not suit him or the job seems too difficult, he will look for other options among similar vacancies, of which there are many on the market. In order to avoid such a development, a mentoring program is being implemented," she explained.
According to Irina Pak, many companies conduct anonymous employee surveys to get feedback and take it into account in future work.
— Continuous training and development is a strategically important element of increasing loyalty. Trainings are provided for employees where they can improve their professional or managerial skills. Another important factor in the long—term relationship between an employee and an employer is the provision of career opportunities," the expert added.
How robotics helps logistics
Modern technologies and artificial intelligence reduce the negative effect of staff starvation and reduce the burden on employees, Irina Pak noted.
— For example, IT tools have helped automate the accounting of goods arriving at the warehouse and simplify the exchange of information between the logistics operator and the customer. Previously, storekeepers had to manually enter data, so more people were needed to process the goods," she noted.
In addition, AI is being actively introduced, which can improve data processing. With the current shortage of personnel, logistics operators are increasingly thinking about warehouse robotics, as this will reduce the need for human resources.
— Robots will be able to take over the execution of the same type of operations. As a result, new warehouse professions will appear, and the current ones will be transformed. Specialists with basic IT knowledge will monitor the operation of the algorithms. We just have to take into account that no matter how advanced the robots are, they will not be able to completely replace the warehouse staff," Irina Pak believes.
She noted that digital technologies are also applicable in transport logistics. For example, an AI-based voice assistant can call customers as soon as the car leaves and transmit information to the driver. He can also do the work of a whole staff of dispatchers — analyze the traffic situation, adjust delivery times and send notifications to customers.
How companies deal with the shortage of employees
Solving the problem of a steady shortage of personnel in the logistics industry has become one of the key tasks for business, Irina Sozdatel, Vice President of the Association of Exporters and Importers, confirmed to Izvestia.
According to her, the main direction of development is related to the introduction of technologies that make it possible to compensate for the shortage of staff.
— Robotic sorting systems, automated loaders and intelligent conveyors take over part of routine operations, and people move to positions that require analysis, control and decision-making. Unmanned trucks and remote control systems are increasingly being developed, which in the future can significantly reduce the burden on the labor market," the expert noted.
Along with technological development, companies rely on human capital — employee training and retraining is becoming an important tool. The availability of career paths increases the attractiveness of the profession for young people and reduces staff turnover.
— Serious efforts are also aimed at improving working conditions. Flexible schedules, additional social guarantees, and increased workplace safety and comfort are becoming the standard. It helps to change the perception of a profession that used to be associated mainly with physical activity," she said.
Employers compensate for the current situation by actively attracting employees of pre-retirement and retirement age with appropriate qualifications to office and line positions that do not require heavy physical labor, Natalia Pronyakina noted.
According to Irina Sozdatel, another important step is to involve broader groups of workers: logistics opens up opportunities for women, older people and specialists with disabilities. Companies are adapting workplaces, creating a diverse corporate environment and expanding the talent pool.
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