by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

(AI-Translations): Deutsch

The European Union's transport sector is grappling with acute labour shortages, particularly in the transport and storage industries. Experts highlight that the situation is not linked to a specific period, but a problem that has been there for years.

Since 2018, the lack of loading space capacity has led to bottlenecks and delivery delays, and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming years.

According to a report published last week by the European Transport Workers Association (ETWA), cargo and passenger transport are challenged for multiple reasons.

The ETWA says that drivers’ age is a critical issue in Germany. Many drivers are nearing retirement, with four out of ten expected to leave the workforce in the coming years. Similarly, in France, 2023 data showed that the average age of bus drivers exceeded 46.

The association adds that the ageing workforce across the EU is a critical issue, with more than a third of truck drivers over 55 and only 6% of passenger transport drivers under 25.

Another reason the association highlights is the employment trends. Data from 2021 to 2023 shows a 7% increase in bus and tram driving jobs and a 4% rise in heavy truck and lorry driving positions.

The increase, however, did not alleviate shortages. Young workers under 30 remain underrepresented, with only 4.7% of bus and tram drivers and 8.9% of heavy truck and lorry drivers aged 15–29 in the EU.

Outsourcing and using temporary work agencies have further deteriorated employment standards, particularly for train drivers.

These workers often face reduced job security, lower pay, and longer hours. In road transport, subcontracting practices have led to a rise in undeclared work and bogus self-employment, exacerbating shortages.

Conversely, ports, which benefit from strong collective bargaining, offer better working conditions and attract more workers.

Furthermore, safety and working conditions are critical concerns in the transport sector. In 2021, nearly half of the workers in this sector reported health and safety risks, compared to 34% across all industries.

Transport workers also face challenging working conditions, including shift work, long periods away from home, and night shifts. Wages are another issue, with 16.2% of transport workers struggling to make ends meet, compared to 13% across all sectors.

Impact on cargo transport in Germany

While the German economy is no stranger to such challenges, the past few years present particularly acute difficulties.

Online platform, Transport Logistic, highlighted data from a study conducted by a consortium of three professors and 16 industry companies. The study showed a gap of at least 70,000 drivers, with an additional 20,000 needed each year.

The shortage creates a major barrier to the growth potential of the logistics industry, impacting the costs, efficiency and capacity of road freight transport.

Gunnar Gburek, a spokesperson for Timocom - a German-based tech company operating a digital road logistics marketplace - emphasises the precarious situation: "Transport prices should rise so that drivers can be paid more appropriately. But competitive pressure hardly allows this."

Timocom's transport barometer showed consistently high transport demand in 2024, indicating a significant imbalance between supply and demand for various routes on the European freight market.

Experts further warn that the truck driver shortage could affect supermarket chains and the transportation of consumer goods such as clothing, textiles, furniture, and electrical products.