Worried that the move to online retail will hurt warehouse employment? Don’t be. In fact, online retail is a major source of growth in the industry.

With more people shopping online than in stores over Thanksgiving and Black Friday last year, the boom in online shopping is prompting more investment in distribution centers and, in turn, more jobs.

The National Retail Federation found that retailers hired between 640,000 to 690,000 holiday workers in 2016. Many of these jobs were in the warehouse, transportation and fulfillment sector. While some of these jobs were driven by holiday shopping, it is part of a bigger growth picture for warehouse staffing agencies.

Demand For Warehouse Workers Growing

A study by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) found that employment in the warehouse and storage section grew by 6.3 percent year-over-year in 2016. This growth was significantly faster than the 1.8 percent rate for non-farm jobs in the U.S. last year.

Distribution and warehouse centers are one of the biggest employers of temporary workers, which is even better news for job seekers.

SIA’s research found that 18 percent of freight and stock movers, 18 percent of packers and packagers and 11 percent of forklift operators were employed by temporary warehouse staffing agencies.

What This Means For Job Seekers

With the ongoing growth of online retail, warehouse and distribution workers will continue to be in demand. Amazon, one of the biggest e-commerce employers, is focusing on temporary workers for its many distribution centers, according to SIA research.

More technology is also being introduced into the distribution sector, with inventory management and automation systems driving the need for more technical jobs as well.

Finding The Right Job For You

When looking for that “perfect” staffing firm, make sure the staffing company has developed a network of large and small businesses that are continually looking for qualified candidates. This means, for job seekers like you, they always have a diverse number of positions that need to be filled.

At The Performance Group, we take the time to understand job and skill requirements, screening and onboarding processes of the companies looking for employees to ensure we can make the right match.

With this knowledge, we can better prepare all our job seekers. You walk into a new position with a clear picture of what you need to do to be successful. This ensures we have high-performing candidates and satisfied employers.

Ready to learn more about job opportunities in warehouse and distribution centers? We can help you find a fulfilling job, whether you’re looking for temporary or full-time work.