Tasks and skills
Drivers and mobile plant operators 1 drive and tend trains and motor vehicles; drive, operate and monitor industrial and agricultural machinery and equipment; or execute deck duties on board ships and other water-borne crafts. The main subgroups are: locomotive engine drivers and related workers; car, van and motorcycle drivers; heavy truck and bus drivers; mobile plant operators; and ships' deck crews and related workers.
There is a strong gender imbalance in the workforce, in favour of male employees. The occupational group faces fairly widespread recruitment difficulties, due to hardships of the nature of jobs, regarding working hours worked and pay levels (for example, heavy truck and bus drivers 2).
The key 3 workplace tasks and skills of drivers and vehicle operators are routine, creativity and resolution and autonomy.
Figure 1: Importance of tasks of drivers and mobile plant operators
Note: The importance of tasks and skills is measured on 0-1 scale, where 0 means least important and 1 means most important.
What are the trends for the future? 4
Overall, the employment level of drivers and vehicle operators across sectors is expected to remain stable between 2018 and 2030. European countries will experience different employment trends for drivers and vehicle operators: more new jobs will be created in 12 countries, while in other 16 the employment of drivers and vehicle operators is projected to decline.
Figure 2: Future employment growth of drivers and mobile plant operators in European countries (2018-2030, in %)
The demand for drivers and mobile plant operators will be pushed forward by replacement needs. Over the period 2018-2030 an estimated 5.2 million people are projected to leave the occupation for one reason or another such as retirement 5. More information about this occupation can be found here.
Figure 3: Future job openings of drivers and vehicle operators (2018-2030)
Regarding their education level, around two thirds of drivers and vehicle operators held medium-level qualifications in 2018, and this is not projected to change in the period 2018 to 2030. During the same period the share of highly qualified workers is expected to grow from around 8 to 15 per cent of total employment. The percentage of low qualified workers in the occupation is projected to fall.
The highest share of driver and vehicle operators is found in the transport sector (54%), with other sizable percentages found in manufacturing (11%), and wholesale and retail (10%). Looking to the future, the shares of employment in the driver and vehicle operator occupation accounted for by these sectors will remain more or less unchanged.
Which drivers of change will affect their skills?
Drivers and vehicle operators are a homogeneous group, differentiated mainly by the vehicle they use (such as vehicles for road transport, trains, industrial, agricultural or ship machinery). Rapid technological, societal and economic changes are expected to affect the nature of their job tasks, and therefore the skills needed.
- Advances in technology, in terms of new tools and software and automation/robots will affect all sub-occupations in this group from different angles:
- plant operators and those handling machines (such as drivers working in warehousing, forestry or construction) will increasingly be challenged by more advanced/computer-controlled machines and vehicles. Knowledge of and familiarity with new technologies and advanced machines will be critical, as automation increasingly infiltrates warehousing.
- Technological advancements in land transport have already affected commercial transportation; for example, taxi drivers have adopted GPS devices and mobile applications that improve the client’s experience. Automation of vehicles (e.g. railway brake, signal and switch operators) have already limited the role of some drivers. Although they are still at planning phase, car automation is expected to grow in the future, substantially changing the experience, role and hence skills of drivers.
However, more developments are underway, expected to revolutionise transport and mobility: for example, the ‘platooning in mobility’ will change the role of drivers. Truck platooning regards “a number of trucks equipped with state-of-the-art driving support systems – one closely following the other. This forms a platoon with the trucks driven by smart technology, and mutually communicating.” 6 Platooning is expected to improve traffic safety, regulate traffic flows, and reduce fuel consumption through constant speed cruise 7. Truck drivers will therefore need new skills relevant to engineering and IT to be able to drive these “smart trucks”.
- The strong rise in demand for environmentally sustainable mobility will emphasize the importance of green skills. Implications for the role of drivers and vehicle operators can be expected both in terms of the type of vehicles/machines they use and how efficiently they use them 8. Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility is one of the goals of the Commission Communication European Green Deal , foreseeing the 90% reduction in transport emissions to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The greater shift to cleaner forms of fuels and low-emission vehicles can be expected to change the map and the overall modus operandi in transport, and so the skills profiles of drivers. 2021 will be ‘European Year of Rail’, having as an objective the promotion of rail transport and its alignment with the objectives of the European Green Deal.
- The political agenda can be expected to influence trends in employment. For example, commercial vehicle drivers are now required to monitor their driving skills and drive more efficiently. The demand for bus and train drivers could increase as a consequence of efforts to promote and encourage the use of public transport to lower emissions 9.
The Italian National Association for Travellers’ Drivers (ANAV) and the Italian Association of Local Public Transportation Companies (ASSTRA) started cooperating in 2013 and launched the Driving Style Academy, which provides classes for professional drivers to cope with the new standards and requirements relating to ‘green’ mobility. The training includes both theoretical classes and on-the-road training, and aims at teaching a low-emissions driving style (so-called Eco-Drive), that would benefit the life of citizens, especially in urban areas.
Source: http://www.anav.it/public/DSA/Driving%20Style%20Academy%20redazionale%20per%20ANAV.pdf
- As a part of its Ditigitalization and future of work project, Cedefop estimates the risks of automation for occupations. The most exposed occupations are those with significant share of tasks that can be automated – operation of specialised technical equipment, routine or non-autonomous tasks – and those with a small reliance on communication, collaboration, critical thinking and customer-serving skills. The risk of automation is further accentuated in those (occupations) in which people report they have little access to professional training that could help them to cope with labour market changes. Drivers & vehicle operators belong to occupations where the automation risk is very high.
