80 DC VELOCITY DECEMBER 2018 www.dcvelocity.com
AFTER A WHILE, IT JUST BECOMES BACKGROUND NOISE.
For years, we’ve heard the warnings about a growing shortage of
workers: truck drivers, supply chain executives, data specialists,
technicians, and more recently, warehouse/DC workers. But over
time, we’ve learned to tune them out. And though the warnings
have grown more insistent of late, they’ve been greeted with a
collective shrug—and perhaps a promise to deal with the problem
when it hits.
It’s here. According to my freshman economics professor, when
the unemployment rate reaches 3 percent—and we’re very close
to that in Q4 2018—we are essentially at full employment. (The
of jobs out there in logistics, but not enough
bodies to fill those slots.)
In the meantime, demand for workers is
growing. According to November U.S.
Department of Labor statistics, logistics hiring
spiked in October at the fastest pace in over
a year. Logistics-related companies, mostly in
DC and trucking operations, added 24,800 jobs
to their work force.
Indications are that the demand is about
to explode. According to a new report from
demand—demand fueled largely by the boom in e-commerce.
