Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsGig economyRetailLabour marketFlexible working

Steep rise in shifts reveals extent of retail labour shortage

by Adam McCulloch 25 Nov 2021
by Adam McCulloch 25 Nov 2021 Photo: ESB Professional/Shutterstock
Photo: ESB Professional/Shutterstock

The number of delivery driver and warehouse shifts has increased by 42% compared with this time last year, a new analysis has found. 

Indeed Flex, a jobs board for flexible workers, also found that as the retail sector gears up for Christmas, wages for warehouse shifts had reached £22.18 an hour as companies grappled with the labour shortage.

Delivery drivers in some parts of the UK were seeing three times (up 266%) as many shifts available than at this time last year.

Indeed Flex said 79% more warehouse operative shifts available, and 40% more picker shifts, compared with last November.

Talent turmoil

Labour shortage biggest concern for 88% of recruiters

Immigration: Fast-track visa for award winners attracts no applicants

Hiring in a post-pandemic world (webinar)

Legal guide: Immigration rules and right to work

The number of vacancies across the UK rose to 1.17 million in October, 388,000 higher than before the pandemic, according to the ONS and difficulties in recruiting permanent staff is seeing many firms in retail and logistics opt to take on temporary workers to fill the gaps.

Higher wages are also offered by some employers. In Greater Manchester, for example, average hourly salaries for temporary warehouse workers have risen 40% from £7.16 last year to £10.04 in 2021 while warehouse shifts in London are paying a top rate of £22.18.

Novo Constare, COO and co-founder of Indeed Flex, said:  “For many retailers and their supply chains, the Black Friday boom and the weeks leading up to Christmas are ‘make or break’ time. But this November the acute lack of staff is holding many businesses back and risks derailing their sales at the most important time of the year.

“Many of the staff shortages have been months in the making. Driving jobs have got progressively harder to fill since lockdown restrictions began to ease in spring, and we’ve recently seen many forward-thinking employers switch their staffing strategy to include a much higher proportion of temporary workers.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“From the employer’s point of view, temps offer greater flexibility and enable them to take seasonal surges in demand in their stride. Interestingly, we’ve also seen a steady increase in the number of workers choosing the freedom of temporary work, which allows them to take shifts whenever and wherever they like – which for some offers a better work-life balance than a conventional full-time job.”

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more human resources jobs

Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch first worked for Personnel Today magazine in the early 1990s as a sub editor. He rejoined Personnel Today as a writer in 2017, covering all aspects of HR but with a special interest in diversity, social mobility and industrial relations. He has ventured beyond the HR realm to work as a freelance writer and production editor in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He is also the author of KentWalksNearLondon. Adam first became interested in industrial relations after witnessing an exchange between Arthur Scargill and National Coal Board chairman Ian McGregor in 1984, while working as a temp in facilities at the NCB, carrying extra chairs into a conference room!

previous post
Indirect disability discrimination: lessons from Follows v Nationwide
next post
Low number of sick days in UK a sign of ‘outdated legacy attitudes‘

You may also like

North Sea oil giant to cut 250 jobs...

8 May 2025

Skills shortages blight sustainability revolution

16 Apr 2025

‘Clean power army’ to create thousands of jobs

7 Apr 2025

HR and businesses respond to Spring Statement

26 Mar 2025

Schneider Electric doubles ex-military green skills scheme

13 Mar 2025

The future of work: is the UK workforce...

11 Mar 2025

Handling headcount conundrums as hiring confidence dips

10 Mar 2025

Questions your CEO really needs to ask about...

7 Mar 2025

CIPD survey: sharp fall in confidence among businesses

17 Feb 2025

National Apprenticeship Week: Transforming the role of skills

14 Feb 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+