Logistics is one of the fastest growing areas of employment in the UK, according to an independent study by Frontier Economics, commissioned by Amazon and supported by Logistics UK.

The study revealed that the UK logistics industry has expanded by 190,000 employees since 2019 and driven the creation of a further 125,000 jobs in local communities,

Employment in logistics has doubled since 2012 and is on track to overtake the size of NHS England (the UK’s largest employer) in 2023.

Sarah Snelson, director of Frontier Economics, said: “The valuable role the logistics sector plays in supporting the ‘levelling up’ of the UK is often overlooked.

“The sector has been growing rapidly. It offers significant employment and progression opportunities including for those individuals with limited formal qualifications.

“These opportunities span the country but are particularly apparent outside of London and the Southeast, unlike many other sectors. Areas that have seen the fastest growth of logistics employment over the last ten years have also seen faster growth in other employment.”

The report also found that the sector offers a route to management jobs for those that did not complete higher education: an estimated 35,000 people in the sector were promoted into management jobs in 2021, and two thirds of managers in logistics do not have a university degree, compared to fewer than half in the wider economy.

The study also found that workers in the sector are satisfied on balance with their job security (67%), pay (67%) and workload (57%).

The study highlighted that the concentration of logistics activity is well distributed across all the nations and regions of the UK and can create jobs in non-urban areas (including post-industrial sites), and logistics jobs are half as likely as other jobs to be based in London.

Frontier Economic said the sector has a crucial role to play in supporting the Government’s Levelling Up agenda, representing a key driver of employment in Levelling Up priority areas, with four-in-ten logistics jobs created since 2012 located in the Government’s high priority areas, compared to only one-in-four jobs for other sectors.

Baroness Vere, roads minister, Department for Transport (DfT) said: “This study further demonstrates what we’ve seen over the last few years, that our logistics industry is crucial in getting essential goods around the country, creating thousands of jobs and levelling up the UK.

“We know that the industry has had a difficult period and we have put in place 33 interventions to tackle the driver shortage. I will continue to support the sector as it works to further benefit communities across the UK.”