How AI Is Shaping the Future of Logistics

The big picture

Using insights from the Adecco Group’s Global Workforce of the Future and Business Leaders research, this report explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is driving change within the logistics sector. It captures the views of both employees and senior leaders in the logistics sector. It highlights the urgent need for workforce strategies to keep pace with technological change.

AI & logistics

Supply chain management. In 2024 the market for intelligent AI-driven services and solutions was worth $24 billion, and this is expected to soar to over $740 billion by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in excess of 40%.

As AI technology continues to learn and adapt, its applications for logistics are unlimited. Accurate up-to-the-minute tracking, proactive communications, forecasting demand, improved efficiency and data-driven decision making are just the start of the journey.

While the industry is rapidly changing to embrace the benefits of AI, the waves are being felt in the workforce – particularly on the warehouse floor. The need for manual labor is decreasing, and demand for new roles and skill sets are emerging.

To capitalize on the benefits of AI and retain a competitive advantage, logistics companies must rethink their talent strategies from the ground up. Success will increasingly depend on organizations building workforce trust, strengthening digital fluency and enabling employees to adapt alongside technology. Only then, will employers be ready for the next era of global logistics.

Key findings

Leaders recognize the importance of AI but lack a clear strategy to adapt to new ways of working.

• Only 2% of logistics companies can be considered ‘future-ready’ – companies that foster adaptability, invest in skills & enable career mobility.
• 23% don’t have an AI policy
• 51% say their leadership team is not well-prepared to leverage AI tools in decision-making
• 42% of organizations do not deliver formal training to reskill or upskill employees in AI
  
  

Workers are enthusiastic about AI but are not being sufficiently involved or supported in the transition: 

• 77% of employees say they would be comfortable collaborating with an AI agent as part of their job
• Over three quarters (81%) of them believe that AI is creating more jobs
• However, only a quarter of employees in the sector (27%) have been actively involved by their employer in how their work is being reshaped by AI.

 

Ready for the full picture?

AI is already reshaping the logistics industry, but technology alone won't determine who succeeds. The organizations that build trust, invest in skills and prepare their workforce today will be the ones leading tomorrow.

Download our full report, Where Talent and Technology Collide: How AI is Shaping the Future of Logistics, to discover:

• The latest sector-specific workforce and business leader research
• What employees and executives really think about AI
• Five practical steps to becoming a future-ready organization

Download the full report today and learn how to build a workforce that's ready for the next era of logistics.