HUMAN CAPITAL A CRITICAL FACTOR

By Mark Dohmen

Human capital is more crucial than ever. Many sectors are struggling with a severe shortage of personnel, and ports are no exception. The labor shortage is expected to persist for another two decades. It is essential to focus on solutions, as economic and financial measures are needed to keep the breakbulk sector strong. But the societal aspect also needs to be addressed. Two Rotterdam breakbulk specialists share their experiences and vision of the labor market.

Currently, there are more than 8,000 vacancies in the port of Rotterdam. This number is expected to increase even further in the near future. On top of that, the labor market in the port and the industry will change in the coming years, partly due to the energy transition. Existing jobs will disappear or change, and new jobs will emerge. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 new jobs could be created in the area. This presents a huge challenge, underscoring the urgency of a joint approach. Breakbulk stakeholders in the port of Rotterdam acknowledge the labor market issues and are making every effort to find and retain motivated and qualified employees for the future.

“Finding experienced employees is a big challenge,” said Jan Wickel, head of recruitment and continuity at the terminal of Rhenus Logistics. Rhenus operates two breakbulk multipurpose terminals in the port of Rotterdam. Rhenus Logistics BV in Rotterdam employs approximately 130 employees, with the majority working in operations. As a familyowned company, Rhenus has 39,000 employees at 1,120 locations in more than 60 countries. “Furthermore, a lot of experienced personnel are leaving the sector due to aging,” Wickel said. “Experienced employees who retire can no longer pass on their knowledge to younger colleagues. Additionally, young people often view working in the port as dirty and physically demanding. This is why the enthusiasm for current education is alarmingly low. We need to make working in the port ‘sexy’ again.”

Wendy Ladage, HR manager at C. Steinweg Group, recognizes the challenge as well. In the port of Rotterdam, Steinweg operates sea terminals and warehouses at 12 locations covering more than 2 million square meters. Besides base metals, ferroalloys, steel, soft commodities, chemicals and plastics, Steinweg also handles project cargo. The company employs 335 full time employees (FTE) in the office and 515 FTE in operations. Ladage identifies recruiting employees as the biggest challenge.

“We have now launched a recruitment campaign focusing on attracting dockworkers,” she said. “But we also have other vacancies, including technical positions. In the current market, recruiting the right people for those vacancies is a serious challenge. In addition, it is important to retain current workforce.”

Other trends include the importance of training — both for new employees and for staff who have been employed for years — and more personal attention to individuals. “It’s important to make the industry attractive to both newcomers and career changers — people who have already built a career elsewhere,” Ladage said. “As employers in the breakbulk sector, we can contribute to this together and seek collaboration. Furthermore, we see that the world around us is changing and topics such as sustainability are important. This affects employees as well.”

In addition, large onboarding processes are increasingly being launched to help new employees feel at home in the new work environment more quickly. At Rhenus, for example, new employees receive a welcome package and awareness training from HR and HSSE on their first day of work. “We make sure they receive workwear if needed and that they get to know the team. Then we have lunch together. So, there is no actual work on the first day. This is repeated several times in the first few months. This way, we try to make new colleagues feel welcome,” Wickel said.

According to both Ladage and Wickel, these actions are crucial for the port of the future and the Rotterdam breakbulk sector. After all, human capital is and will remain a critical success factor. “The work in the port is changing, that’s for sure. We see increasing automation and digitalization, for example. But no matter how much you implement these developments, you will always be working with people,” Ladage said. “If we stop hiring people to do the work, the port will close. Not everything can be automated,” Wickel added.

Evidently, the changes do have an impact on the skills, training, and social competences needed for a future-proof breakbulk industry. Digital skills are becoming increasingly important, but so are technical and communication skills. In addition, the impact of social developments is becoming more visible in the workplace. Wickel said: “Employees need to have the right level of work and thinking. Awareness and a sense of safety are also important, for themselves as well as for the environment. Moreover, a good port worker has perseverance and is physically fit, not easily thrown off balance in social interactions, and enjoys working in a team.”

The Rotterdam breakbulk companies are each handling the challenges in their own way. For example, Rhenus Logistics ensures that the company gains as much visibility and awareness as possible. “We also look beyond the industry and are willing to train people from scratch for the job,” Wickel said. Daring to think differently is essential, he added: “In the past, it was unthinkable to work part-time in the port. That has changed. Where we used to look at whether education and experience matched the job, we now look at individuals and their engagement and motivation.”

Even before the labor market was tight, Rhenus hired people with disabilities. Today, there are also Ukrainians working there; two ladies in the office and a man who acts as an intermediary between the office and the truck drivers. “He does not speak English as well as the ladies in the office, but he does speak several Eastern European languages. This has made communication with the drivers much more open and clearer. Besides, they all have an excellent work mentality,” Wickel said.

In early March, Steinweg launched a new recruitment campaign. Ladage said: “For the coming year, we have purchased advertising space on social media channels where we believe we can effectively reach our target audience. For this campaign, photos and videos were shot with our own staff. We will also expand the campaign to the World Port Days in Rotterdam, among others.” Vacancies at Steinweg are increasingly written from the perspective of a colleague, explaining what working in the department entails and what new colleagues can expect. In short, people are at the center of communication.

Steinweg is also working on brand awareness. For 175 years, the company has been a standard in the Rotterdam port, but Steinweg has never presented itself to the outside world. “That has now changed,” Ladage said. “Investing in brand awareness and a good employer brand is necessary if you want to recruit personnel. As a new employee, you want to feel connected to an organization and know what the organization stands for.”

According to both Ladage and Wickel, a creative approach to addressing labor market challenges is not a temporary solution; it is a structural change. “We expect the labor shortage to persist for the foreseeable future.

In the coming years, more people will leave the Dutch labor market than new people will join,” Ladage said.

“We are already missing employees with one-on-one work experience in the industry. Given the image of this work among students, this is unlikely to change anytime soon,” Wickel added. “Employing people with disabilities or refugees may not be the solution to labor market challenges, but it does contribute to it, and as a company, you need to be open to such possibilities. This applies to all companies in the breakbulk sector. Think broader and act broader. The port of Rotterdam was, is, and will always be attractive. It is up to us, as a community, to put this beautiful port back on the map.”