Freight forwarding has been one of the most successful sectors of the global logistics industry over the past decade. Due to the trend of globalization substantial growth has been achieved which has led manufacturing to locate to remote markets around the world. The development of economies such as the Chinese, Indian, Russian, Middle East and Latin America has created the demand for international forwarding services that the global players have been quick to exploit.
However the global economic environment in which these companies have prospered is becoming much more challenging. The ‘credit crunch’ brought to an end a prolonged period of growth for the US economy, and the downturn has spread, first to the UK and then to Europe. Its impact is now being felt in some Asia Pacific markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore which rely heavily on western export markets.
In conjunction with the turmoil in the financial markets, the cost of transportation is significantly more expensive due to spiraling oil prices.
Many forwarders have so far shrugged off the economic slowdown, benefiting from their exposure to a range of markets.
However even the most agile forwarders will find it hard to achieve recent growth rates if the economic malaise spreads to all key markets. In addition to this, the rise in fuel costs will inevitably shrink margins although falling rates, caused by overcapacity on key lanes, should provide some relief.
There is no doubt that forwarders will need to be highly responsive to market conditions if they are to prosper in the new economic environment. Opportunities will remain, but there is little doubt that a ‘golden’ period of growth is at an end.
Antal’s Solution:
Our researchers have found that the Freight Forwarding Industry is still candidate driven.
Antal understands that the best candidates are not always the ones who are ‘actively looking’ and simply by advertising you only get interest from the active market.
Antal constantly researches the market place and gain recommendations from our pool of professionals in the freight industry. In this candidate driven market we want to know the people who exceed their targets on a monthly/yearly basis and also the people who are adding value to your competitors business – as these are the people our clients need to meet.
Heading up the Logistics recruitment desk at Antal is Jane Stacey who has worked in the industry for 10 years and as such we can identify and screen the key people in the industry and additional resource from other sectors with transferable skills and a demonstrable track record of adding value.
For help with recruitment solutions contact:
Jane Stacey
Antal International Network
Email: JStacey@antal.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1925 438110
Mobile: +44 (0) 7919 535526
Fax: +44 (0) 1925 438111
