Employment in the logistics sector reached a historic high in the fourth quarter of 2025, with 928,000 workers, which represents a year-over-year increase of 4.6% and an accumulated growth of 5% for the year as a whole. This is according to the latest report, “Labor Market in the Logistics Sector,” prepared by Randstad Research.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the Goods Transport segment accounted for 47.8% of sector employment, with 443,391 workers. It was followed by Storage and related transport activities, with 36.5% and 338,835 workers, and Postal and Courier Activities, with 15.7% and 146,059 employees.
Regarding the evolution of employees in the fourth quarter by activity, employment rose 5.4% in Goods Transport and 9.7% in Storage and related transport activities. By contrast, Postal and Courier Activities declined by 7.4%.
The logistics sector accounted for, in the last quarter of the year, 4.2% of total employment in Spain, with a larger relative weight in Goods Transport (2%), Storage (1.5%), and Postal Activities (0.7%).
The Aging of the Workforce Strains Generational Turnover
The aging of the labor force is creating a generational imbalance that highlights the difficulties of guaranteeing generational turnover in the sector. In this regard, the 45- to 54-year-old bracket has become the largest employed group since 2020. Also, workers over 45 already account for 62.5% of employment in Goods Transport, the subsector with the greatest weight.
However, this trend coexists with strong dynamism of youth employment in certain segments. In the fourth quarter of 2025, employment among those under 25 grew 76.8% in Storage and related transport activities, while in Postal and Courier Activities the increase was even more pronounced, 125.5% among the 16- to 24-year-olds. These advances contribute to an incipient rejuvenation process in parts of the sector.
“Reaching 928,000 employees is a milestone, but the real success is not just hiring, but retaining. The strong momentum we see among those under 25 in storage (+76.8%) indicates that the sector is starting to be viewed as a real career option, not just a temporary refuge. The challenge now is to translate that enthusiasm to goods transport, where the average age remains critical,” says Eva Basanta, Randstad’s Strategic Accounts Lead for the Logistics Sector.
A Male-Dominated Sector with Low Female Representation
Logistics employment remains predominantly male. Of the 928,000 employed, 710,000 are men and 218,000 are women, yielding a female representation rate of 23.5%, well below the national average of 46.4%.
The gap is especially pronounced in Goods Transport, where female presence is limited to 12.3%. In contrast, it reaches 35.5% in Storage and related activities and 29.7% in Postal and Courier Activities.
The sector maintains an occupational structure clearly oriented toward operational profiles, especially linked to transport and handling of goods, though with a significant share of administrative support roles.
In this context, the most relevant occupation in the sector is Equipment and Machinery Installers and Operators, representing 45.4% of the total (421,000 workers). They are followed by administrative profiles, at 22.7% (211,000 employed), and elementary occupations, at 17.3% (160,000 workers).
On the other hand, since the Labor Reform took effect and due to the fixed-discontinuous hiring pattern, permanent contracts have grown strongly in the sector, accounting for 42.5% of contracts signed in 2025.
In line with this evolution, payroll employment clearly dominates the sector, with 822,000 employed (88.6% of the total), compared with 104,000 self-employed workers (11.2%), which have remained stable in recent quarters.
“Logistics is no longer a bridge sector. The fact that payroll employment dominates at 88.6% and that permanent contracts continue to gain weight shows we are dealing with a sector that offers stable life projects. This is crucial for attracting those tech profiles we mentioned: digital talent seeks security and purpose, and today Spanish logistics can provide it,” explains Eva Basanta, Randstad’s Strategic Accounts Lead for the Logistics Sector.
Catalonia Leads the Geographical Concentration of Logistics Jobs
Logistics employment in Spain shows a high geographic concentration. Catalonia leads the ranking with 20.9% of total (190,000 employed), followed by Madrid (16.8%, 152,000), Andalusia (14%, 127,000) and the Valencian Community (12.1%, 109,000). Together, these four regions account for 63.8% of sector employment.
By sector, in the Goods Transport segment, Catalonia accounts for 20.7% of employed, followed by the Valencian Community with 14.2%, Andalusia with 14.2%, and Madrid with 10.8%.
In Storage and related transport activities, the regions with the greatest influence on sector employment are Madrid with a 26.3%, followed by Catalonia with 19.7%, Andalusia with 11.1% and the Valencian Community with 10.6%.
Finally, in Postal and Courier Activities, Catalonia groups 24.3% of employment, followed by Andalusia with 20.7%, and Madrid with 12.7%.
In 2025, 4.1% of workers in Spain belonged to the Logistics sector. Its weight is higher in regions such as Castilla-La Mancha, with a 6.7% share of the region’s employment, Murcia with 5.4%, Catalonia with 4.8%, and the Valencian Community with 4.5%.
