Productivity is the underestimated challenge of logistics (part 1 of 3)
By Maarten Alta · 4 October 2026
Translated from a LinkedIn post in Dutch.
Barbara Baarsma, chief economist at PwC Netherlands, observes that the logistics sector is structurally lagging behind in labour productivity growth. She names three possible causes:
- limited capacity to innovate;
- dependence on low-paid migrant workers;
- too little investment in training.
Her warning: companies with low productivity growth will eventually lose ground to better-performing competitors.
The Aeternus Top 50 Transport and Logistics shows that labour productivity, measured as gross profit per FTE, is clearly linked to a high position in the ranking. The best-performing logistics service providers not only create more value per employee, they are also better at turning that value into results.
The starting point is strong, too. According to a recent report by Dilas, the warehousing and transport services sector generates about € 82.10 of added value per hour worked, around 45% more than the Dutch average. The level is good, but the growth is lagging.
That is the challenge: creating more added value per hour worked. Baarsma points to the strength of ecosystems, as in high tech. They work together with universities, but also with suppliers and customers in the chain, and that keeps them ahead. The same collaboration in the chain can help logistics move forward. Productivity brings margin, room to invest and resilience for the future.
So what is holding the sector back? In part 2 I look more closely at staff shortages in logistics.
Sources: CBS (Statistics Netherlands), "Stagnation of labour productivity in the transport sector, 2014–2024" (2026); Aeternus Top 50 Transport & Logistics (2026); Logistiek.nl, interview with Barbara Baarsma (10 July 2026); Dilas, "Industry & logistics, the infrastructure of everything" (2026). Analysis, image and wording with Claude AI.
#skills #labourproductivity #logistics #ecosystems #collaboration #dilas #PwC