The European Commission has commissioned a study to consulting companies Panteia, Ecorys, ISI-Fraunhofer, and PwC which are to assess how the employment of more women will affect the transport sector. Brussels hopes that women will have a positive influence on the male-dominated industry.
This type of research was carried out before, in 2015. The Panteia and PwC surveys show that the number of men in the transport sector is higher than in most other sectors, according to the portal logistiek.nl. The division is both horizontal – relatively more men employed compared to other industries – as well as vertical, which means that career opportunities for women in this industry are limited.
Relatively few women are employed, for example, as drivers, while in offices where the number of women and men is more or less the same, women are less likely to advance, according to reports.
According to EU officials, little has changed so far. The number of women employed in the transport sector has not increased, despite the fact that it is a priority for many organizations.
Women will fill personnel gaps among drivers
According to the Dutch website logistiek.nl, it can be confidently stated that the employment of women in the transport industry will bring many benefits. The most important of them is to increase the potential workforce, which may prevent staff shortages in some professions, including drivers. Other benefits include better team spirit, greater employee engagement, greater loyalty to employers, higher productivity, and increased security.
Patentia has announced that the new research conducted in Europe has also for its purpose to identify the barriers which stop women from looking for jobs in the transport sector. On the other hand, it will also help to answer the question on what makes it difficult for employers to employ women and how they can encourage women to work in this industry.
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