They witness
- Cleo Gouiffessenior consultant in the purchasing and supply chain division of the recruitment firm Robert Walters
- Christine Bouquetin charge of HR missions for the logistician-flow pilot ID Logistics France 4
- Sebastien Perdereauresponsible for the supply chain purchasing practice for Michael Page and administrator of France Supply chainthe professional union for the function.
- Philippe BertinCEO Estivin
- Pierre Lupoglazoff“Eve” project manager at Ademe
- Yazid SinaceurHead of HR Development Eqiom
Logistics: a sector struggling to begin its ecological transition
It’s a little sentence dropped by a headhunter who does not want to be quoted:
Logistics services are in economic emergency, not ecological…
Shaken by supply difficulties, rising raw material costs or dormant components, logistics is trying to deal with the most urgent matters. The majority of companies in the sector run after turnover, not after more ecologically virtuous transport. In a speech given last January at an annual congress of eco-responsible companies in the sector, the president of Ademe considered that the “Voluntary commitments for the environment” (EVE) program had enabled “to engage more than 600 companies in the energy transition in 2021, i.e. the equivalent of 546,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent avoided”. A drop of water in an ocean of carbon produced by nearly 150,000 companies in the sector.
“Green” logistics or “green” logistics, what are we talking about?
This term refers to all the actions implemented by companies in the logistics and supply chain sector to fight against global warming. Green logistics must find the balance between economic and ecological efficiency. This happens for example by:
- Reducing the fuel consumed by transport vehicles while waiting to find viable solutions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels;
- The installation of IT solutions to optimize warehouse management and limit the use of resources;
- The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in logistics centers in particular;
- The use of renewable materials for transport and packaging;
- Etc.
Strong increase in hiring
In logistics and the supply chain, the candidate is in a strong position.
“It is a market in very strong development,” confirms Cléo Gouiffes, senior consultant in the purchasing and supply chain division of the recruitment firm Robert Walters. This tension will push her to hire 2 consultants for this practice by the end of 2022. “Between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, the volume of job offers for this function grew by 27% with peaks of +100% for the position of supply chain manager or of + 70% for that of continuous improvement project manager “. New positions also appear, such as that of Sales & operation planning.
Sebastien Perdereau
“Recruitment in the sector is very good, continues Sébastien Perdereau, head of the supply chain purchasing practice for Michael Page and administrator of France Supply chain, the professional union for the function. If I take as a reference the excellent year 2019, in supply chain-logistics, the activity of my firm is 30% higher in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2019”. This should continue. The Michael Page firm does not note any decline in activity linked to the Russian-Ukrainian war. On the contrary, employers are developing recruitment plans for these functions of the order of 12 months. While it is quite rare in terms of recruitment to have visibility exceeding 2-3 months.
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Salaries up 10% in one year
The tension on the recruitment of logisticians leads to spectacular salary increases. The Robert Walters firm estimates this growth at + 10% between the first quarter of 2021 and that of 2022. With this shortage of talent, employers must offer very attractive remuneration to bring in the new generations of Bac +5, not necessarily attracted by a function whose carbon footprint is still black.
Some examples of logistics executive salaries in 2022:
- The budget to hire a national transport manager was 75-80,000 euros gross per year at the start of 2021. It is above 90,000 euros gross per year today…
- A retail logistics project manager, for a company in the Ile-de-France, has just landed a position at 70,000 euros variable included. He is a little over 30 years old.
- A stream manager has just been hired at 65,000 euros gross per year. She has 3 years of experience, not yet thirty, and therefore receives more than the median salary of French engineers in 2021 (58,900 euros according to the latest IESF study).
Aim for “impact” professions
In these functions, almost all professions will be able to develop a CSR (corporate social responsibility) dimension. But not all employers do. For candidates put off by the sector’s lag in decarbonization, the good idea is to negotiate the outline of your position.
Candidates can, and must, be proactive. Companies are listening and it is now, during recruitment interviews, that they must be offered more innovative, greener solutions. They are takers.
Cléo Gouiffes, senior consultant in the purchasing and supply chain division of the recruitment firm Robert Walters
Impact job: supply-chain project manager
the supply chain project manager is also an important link in the decarbonization of transport. It redefines flows to be more efficient, and to integrate a circular economy of reusing pallets, green waste and other systems to avoid unnecessary transport.
Impact profession: Sustainable supply chain manager
“I also see new professions appearing linking supply chain and CSR, adds Sébastien Perdereau, of Michael Page. We have produced a survey of these functions. Demand is still weak but these new professions are called Sustainable supply chain manager which intervenes on the design of products, packaging, the location of suppliers, the choice of modes of transport, delivery. This position is still underdeveloped, but it is encountered more and more often among “pure players” in logistics and transport under the heading ” CSR/Sustainable Development Manager “with sometimes the HSE cap (health safety environment)”.
Other impact professions
Other “green” positions are emerging such as those of sustainable buyers, lean management managers or project managers on environmental issues to set up a “green” solution for transport over the last mile, or new buildings ecological…
Criteria for identifying virtuous logisticians
Not easy to spot the employer advocating “environmental” logistics. There are those who communicate on the subject, like this e-commerce player who robotizes, automates and needs the most efficient logistics, and therefore, the greenest possible.
Philippe Bertin
“We are looking for site managersof the logisticiansof the branch managers, illustrates Philippe Bertin, CEO of the agri-food logistics company Estivin (350 employees, 5 executive recruitments planned for 2022), rewarded by Ademe in 2021-22 for his “cooperation between actors”. Why come to our house ? Because we are developing “intelligent” logistics that can reduce the number of kilometers traveled by our trucks by around 15%. It’s good for the planet “.
It is also interesting, to identify virtuous companies in terms of ecology, to rely on trophies or prizes. The program organized by Ademe is to be followed in particular:
Pierre Lupoglazoff
“We distinguished 15 companies in 2021announces Pierre Lupoglazoff, “Eve” project manager (voluntary commitment to the environment) at ADEME, a program aimed at helping the transport and logistics sector to save energy and limit greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse. To identify a company capable of developing ecologically virtuous logistics, I would measure how the employer has been certified by an independent third party attesting to environmental performance such as the Ecovadis label, iso 26000 certification for sustainable development, the 14 001 for environmental management or iso 50 001 for energy management. These are signs that the employer is committed to a sustainable development approach”.
“To spot a “green” employer, you have to ask questions in the interview, adds Yazid Sinaceur, HR development manager at the building materials and waste recovery specialist Eqiom (1,500 employees and 56 executive recruitments planned for 2022) , an EVE award-winning company for its “circular economy approach”. And ask the employer about its impacts on the environment and how it reduces them. We give them concrete proof with trucks that drive more ecologically. Today, the candidates are to be convinced. Before, it was the other way around”.
Me, if I were a candidate in this sector looking for a job that makes sense, I would favor positions in industry.
Sébastien Perdereau, from Michael Page/France Supply chain
“Everyone in these industrial sectors is concerned by environmental issues, insists Sébastien Perdereau. Employers are looking for specialists across the entire value chain: from the development of the customer promise to the “green” mode of transport, including product research – raw materials, components or packaging. Conclusion: the Sustainable Supply Chain Manager can operate at all levels. His influence is considerable.
I would also inquire to find out if the employer gives itself the means to develop its CSR policy. In particular, it is necessary to question the operational staff in post, to check how the departments are objectified on their results in terms of decarbonization. At Michael Page, we have created…