Everything you need to know about the transport and logistics sector

With over 1.6 million employees and new challenges for the future, the Transport-Logistics sector offers great opportunities for job seekers at all levels.

The Transport & Logistics sector is strategic for employment and regional development. Serving all French businesses and citizens, it is an essential link in the economic chain.

But what exactly is the transport and logistics sector? Why choose the logistics and transport sector? What are the jobs in transport and logistics?

Find the answers to all your questions in this article.

Transport and Logistics: a changing sector that is hiring

The Transport and Logistics sector brings together two closely related economic activities. It covers the movement of goods and passengers by road, air, water or rail, including medical transport, as well as all associated activities such as warehousing, freight handling and the operation of transport infrastructure.

With the rise of e-commerce and the expansion of global trade, the sector is growing significantly, becoming one of the main job creators in France: over 1.6 million workers. Thanks to the incredible diversity of roles offered, the sector attracts a wide range of profiles, from CAP to Bac +5. From hands-on field roles to management positions, demand for labor is strong.

Having entered a phase of transformation driven by the energy transition and new technologies, the Transport-Logistics sector is marked by extensive recruitment of increasingly qualified candidates and upskilling of its workforce. For example, the widespread adoption of IT tools used for traceability and inventory management explains the increase in recruiting Bac+2 profiles to ensure candidates possess the necessary qualifications.

Everything you need to know about the Transport-Logistics sector: key figures and facts

These figures come from France Travail, the Ministère de la Transition Écologique, INSEE, and OPTL (Observatoire Prospectif des métiers et des qualifications dans les Transports et la Logistique).

Transport and Logistics companies

• approximately 71,900 companies

• the freight transport market consists of:

  • 89% road transport
  • 9% rail transport
  • 2.3% inland waterway transport
• 8.1% of total salaried employment

Transport and Logistics employees

• over 1.6 million jobs
• 73.6% permanent contracts (CDI)
• 807,685 employees in the road transport branch
• 19% women
• average age of 44.5 years

The employment situation in Transport and Logistics

• 5th largest recruiter in France
• 176,200 recruitment projects, accounting for 7.7% of all sectors
• 99,100 recorded job offers
• 40.5% of recruitments considered difficult
• among the most sought-after: heavy goods vehicle driver, bus driver, delivery driver, coach driver, ambulance driver

Training within Transport and Logistics

• recruitment across all profiles and levels, from CAP to Bac +5
• initial training, continuing education, pre-hire training, qualifications, certifications, work-study contracts: access routes are varied and can be funded.
• over 12,200 apprentices in Transport-Logistics training
• 40,860 new drivers trained to operate heavy freight vehicles
• 47,743 professional qualifications awarded in transport and logistics

Jobs in transport and logistics:

It is estimated that the passenger transport, medical transport, freight transport, and logistics sector encompasses around 125,000 job types, some of which are little known. Among these jobs, examples include:

• chartering agent
• transit agent
• ambulance driver
• forklift operator
• delivery driver
• truck driver
• bus driver
• freight train driver
• armored car guard
• mover
• flyer distributor
• dockworker
• mail carrier
• warehouse worker
• material handler
• order picker
• airline pilot
• traffic controller
• operations manager
• supply chain manager
• logistics maintenance technician

Actual group solutions for accessing jobs in transport and logistics

With the digital, technological, and environmental development of the Transport and Logistics sector, skill requirements are evolving. To meet these needs effectively, Actual group relies on a network of employment agencies specializing in "Logistics" and "Transport". Working in close collaboration with Actual group's 600 multi-specialist employment agencies located throughout France, these expert agencies support candidates, qualified or not, looking for a job or a temporary assignment in the Transport-Logistics sector.

So if you are looking for a job in a future-proof, hiring, and accessible sector, don't wait any longer to visit your nearest Actual employment agency and discover all our job offers online!

Sources

OPTL (Observatoire Prospectif des métiers et des qualifications dans les Transports et la Logistique)

INSEE

France Travail

Ministère de la Transition écologique et de la Cohésion des territoires

AFT (Agence pour le développement de la formation professionnelle dans les transports)

Image credit: © Marcin Jozwiaksur / Unsplash