Warehousing and Logistics

Warehousing is a process of storing goods, including facilities to load and unload goods from trucks or directly from railways, airports or seaports.

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods and services between the point of origin and the point of consumption. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, packaging, and often security.

There are about 3,000 businesses in the sector that are employers. 2,700 of those businesses employ less than 20 people. 60 businesses employ more than 200 workers, mainly in the freight forwarding and warehousing sectors.

_{Source: ABS, Counts of Australian Businesses, Jun 2012 to Jun 2016}

145,000 people work in the transport support and warehousing and storage services sectors. The Department of Jobs and Small Business projects that this will rise by about 9% to 158,000 by November 2020.

_{Source: Department of Jobs and Small Business Industry Projections - Five Years to November 2020.}

• Employment in the industry is predominantly full time, with part-time workers making up just over 20% of the workforce.
• The industry is overwhelmingly male, with females accounting for only 19% of the workforce.
• The Transport and Logistics workforce is the second oldest workforce in the country, with a large proportion of workers set to retire in the next decade.

_{Source: Australian Industry Standards, Transport and Logistics IRC Skills Forecast 2017}

• 22% of the industry holds a Certificate III or IV qualification. 15% hold higher education qualifications, and 47% have no post-secondary qualifications.

_{Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Characteristics of Employment, Australia, August 2016}

Automation and robotics are having a big impact in the sector and will continue to replace manual handling activities across supply chains.

The ‘internet of things’ is seeing sensors and new data management methods being used to enhance asset tracking and warehousing operations. Potential applications extend to every aspect of the logistics value chain and have already been incorporated into the supply chains of logistics providers.

The rapid growth in online purchasing has greatly impacted on the sector. Logistics and supply chains are the key enablers that ensure retailers achieve inventory visibility and optimisation to meet customer demand.

_{Source: Australian Industry Standards, Transport and Logistics IRC Skills Forecast 2017}

Some occupations and tasks within this sector may require a ‘License to Perform High Risk Work’. These licenses replace and include licences to operate forklifts and other load shifting equipment including cranes and hoists. Safe Work Australia can link you to regulators in your state or territory.