Few logistics disciplines are harder to hire into than freight forwarding and customs. A shrinking talent pool, a post-Brexit complexity spike and an ageing workforce have created one of the tightest markets in the sector. Here's how to navigate it.
Freight forwarding sits at the complicated heart of global trade — coordinating air, sea and road movements, managing documentation, and keeping shipments compliant across borders. It has always demanded specialist knowledge, but the last few years have made experienced forwarders and customs professionals scarcer and more valuable than ever. For employers, that scarcity has turned routine hiring into a genuine challenge.
The single biggest shift has been the surge in customs work. New border processes between the UK and the EU created demand for customs declarations and compliance expertise almost overnight — expertise that, for decades of frictionless EU trade, simply hadn't needed to be built at scale. The result is a structural shortage: more customs work than there are people who know how to do it. Experienced customs specialists can now choose their employer, and they know it.
Customs knowledge used to be a niche specialism. Almost overnight it became business-critical — and the supply of people who genuinely have it never caught up with the demand.
Compounding the problem, much of the deepest forwarding and customs knowledge sits with a generation now approaching retirement. This expertise is largely tacit — learned over years of handling real shipments and edge cases rather than from a textbook — which makes it slow and difficult to replace. Too few younger people have entered the profession to fill the gap, leaving employers competing hard for a finite pool of experienced operators.
The modern freight forwarder needs a broad and increasingly technical skill set. Beyond core operational competence, the most sought-after candidates combine:
In a market this tight, employers who treat hiring as a competition for talent — rather than a transaction — win. That starts with a competitive, honestly benchmarked package, but it doesn't end there. The forwarders worth hiring want interesting work, a stable and professional operation, modern systems that make their job easier, and an employer that invests in their development. Many are not actively looking, so the candidates who'll genuinely move are usually reached through targeted approaches rather than adverts.
Customs platforms, electronic documentation and the steady automation of routine declarations are changing what a strong forwarder looks like. The administrative side of the job is shrinking, while the value of judgement, exception-handling and client advisory work is rising. Employers increasingly want forwarders who are comfortable with the systems and who can spend their time on the complex, high-value shipments rather than keying data. Candidates who embrace that shift — treating technology as a tool that frees them for the interesting work — are the ones who will remain in demand as the profession modernises.
Because experienced talent is so scarce, the smartest employers pair external hiring with internal development — bringing in capable people from adjacent roles and training them in customs and forwarding. Building a pipeline, including apprentice and trainee routes, is no longer optional for organisations that want to be resilient against this shortage over the long term.
Employers: if you're struggling to find experienced freight forwarders or customs specialists, submit your vacancy and we'll reach the people who aren't on the job boards. Candidates: if you're a forwarder or customs professional weighing your options in a market that values you, upload your CV for a confidential conversation about your next move.
We know where the experienced forwarders and customs people are — and how to reach them. Tell us what you need to fill.