BY MARKUS SCHLOTTER
Many people associate warehouse work with heavy lifting and monotonous tasks. The reality, however, is quite different, and companies that succeed in combining technology with a skilled workforce—and in communicating the new opportunities this creates to the right candidates—will have the strongest competitive edge.
It is well known that the retail and transportation sectors are struggling with a shortage of skilled workers. According to the Swedish Transport Association’s latest report, there will be a shortage of 150,000 new employees by 2040, and last year the Swedish Trade Council presented a study showing a need for 139,000 new employees within three years, of whom 114,000 are blue-collar workers and the rest white-collar workers. More than half of companies in the retail sector report that it has become more difficult to find the right talent, while the Transport Companies’ survey shows that only 18 percent of the country’s young people view the transport sector as an industry of the future. Both reports also indicate that the demands on new hires will increase.
Jobs aren't disappearing; they're evolving
Today, automation and robotization are essential for companies that want to ensure efficiency, create a safe work environment, and ultimately strengthen their competitiveness. As new technology gains a foothold in the logistics industry, the fundamental conditions of warehouse work are changing—and with them, the demands on and opportunities for employees. It is not, therefore, a matter of jobs disappearing, but rather of them being transformed. Automation and robotization both increase efficiency and improve the work environment, while paving the way for a new type of warehouse role where employees gain greater responsibility, better conditions, and more opportunities for development.
Bestseller leads the way
Our neighbor Denmark is a pioneer with several good examples of how investments in automation have attracted new employees to companies and driven local growth. One of them is the apparel company Bestseller, which owns brands such as Vero Moda and Jack and Jones, and experienced unexpected demand in 2020, prompting a need to rethink its warehouse operations. The strategy was to build up capacity domestically in Denmark, which required smarter solutions to balance costs, flexibility, and the work environment. Their automation was made possible by the introduction of a robotic solution that eliminated the need for separate picking and packing zones. At ergonomic workstations, operators pick items from a robot carrying storage bins, after which the bins are placed on a conveyor belt system where the process continues. This handoff between robots reduces both the number of steps and the workload for employees. The solution has significantly increased picking capacity while improving ergonomics in daily work, as it reduces both heavy lifting and repetitive movements. At the same time, the robots free up time for tasks that require human oversight and understanding.
Work with technology
Today, the work at Bestseller involves collaborating with technology, ensuring quality, and continuously improving processes. Here, we can see how user-friendly technical systems can give employees the opportunity to quickly grow into new roles and, over time, deepen their specialized expertise. Being able to offer these kinds of opportunities is becoming increasingly important. Sweden has the opportunity to follow the example of companies in Denmark and choose to keep warehouse jobs in the country, while making them more attractive—a move that facilitates the recruitment of workers.
Warehouses of the future won’t have fewer jobs—they’ll have different kinds of jobs. The companies that succeed in combining technology with employee development—and that can communicate these new opportunities to the right candidates—will be the strongest players in the market. We all have a responsibility to promote warehouse careers in Sweden, so that more qualified people choose this career path, including younger people.
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Markus Schlotter is Managing Director for Central Europe and the Nordics at Exotec.
