Study - Labour shortage in transport in the European Union

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is planning to launch a procurement procedure for a study on Labour shortage in transport in the European Union (EU).

WHAT IS THIS PUBLICITY ABOUT?

This announcement is made pursuant to Annex I.14 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, to award a low value contract for a study as a result of a negotiated procurement procedure. It is published ahead of the procurement procedure with basic information on the subject matter of the contract, to give economic operators the possibility to express interest in participating as tenderers in the subsequent procurement procedure.

DESCRIPTION

The transport of goods is fundamental for a working economy, and has become specially prevalent in our society. The transport sector however is suffering from notable labour shortages, with many vacancies unfilled in the EU[1]. As this working population ages, and without sufficient generational renewal, consequences will be felt throughout the EU economy, in a much harsher manner than the UK already suffered due to post-Brexit consequences. This suggests that transport workers have specific challenges that persist beyond the existing unemployment levels, even in countries like Spain, where this level is very high. Transport, particularly long haul, is also subject to specific cross-country conditions, and therefore EU legislation is highly relevant[2][3].

As noted by Eurostat[4], in 2020, road freight transport accounted for 77.4% of the total inland freight transport in the EU, followed by rail and inland waterways transport (16.8% and 5.8% respectively). In the last ten years, the prevalence of road transport over rail and inland waterways has only increased, with large divergences depending on the country, particularly in the use of rail transport. Despite this growing importance of the transport sector, and specifically, the increase in road freight (which is more labour-intensive than the other transport modes), the issues of labour shortage outlined above persist, and are likely to increase in the near future[5].

Against this background the study should:

  1. provide a more complete overview of existing challenges in labour shortages and current distribution of transport modalities at EU level, as well as a brief overview using existing secondary data on the international setting at a global scale, without the need to cover every example available but noting the most relevant;
  2. after this stage, the study shall focus on the particularities of lorry drivers, and the legislative, social, working conditions, economic, skills, and industrial relations' structure in which they operate;
  3. consider the issue of migration of labour and its possible impact, as it is often considered a short-term solution;
  4. this exercise should end with a conclusive overview of the specificities of the sector, the possible causes for the labour shortage even in high unemployment settings, and;
  5. propose plausible solutions and policy recommendations to tackle this situation in the following 5 to 10 years, when the shortages are expected to worsen.

Languages/geographical area

The study should be carried out in English, and focus on the EU as a whole, providing an overview of the figures for the sectors involved, and include a brief analysis of the global situation subject to existing available data.

Indicative timeline

  1. Launch of the invitation to tender: April 2023.
  2. Contract award: 2nd quarter 2023.
  3. The final study report is expected within 9 months following the signature of the contract.
  4. Deadline for submission of tenders: approximately early 2nd quarter 2023.

WHO MAY EXPRESS INTEREST TO BE INVITED IN THE SUBSEQUENT CALL FOR TENDERS?

Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons established in the European Union (EU) or in a third country which has a special agreement with the EU in the field of public procurement on the conditions laid down in that agreement. This includes:

  • All EU Member States;
  • Parties to special international agreements with the EU in the field of public procurement:
    • European Economic Area agreement (EEA): Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein;
    • Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA): North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

HOW TO EXPRESS INTEREST

Entities established in a country that has access to the procurement procedure can express interest in participating in the planned procedure by filling in and submitting the contact form (see link at the bottom of this page).

DATA PROTECTION

By submitting your contact details, you consent to the EESC processing this personal data in line with this Privacy Statement. To access, change or delete your data at any moment, please contact the data controller by sending an email to studies-eesc@eesc.europa.eu.

DISCLAIMER

Please note that this announcement does not create any obligation for the EESC to launch a procurement procedure. The EESC will take the submitted information into account only to identify potential candidates. Expressing interest to participate in this type of negotiated procedure does not create any legal right or legitimate expectation on the part of any economic operator, and the EESC has the right to cancel the procedure at any time. The documents of the actual call for tenders (invitation letter, tender specifications and draft contract) will only be provided to the identified candidates when the procedure is launched, and any tender received from a legal or natural person not invited to tender will be rejected.

Contact

Expressions of interest in participating or requests for further information should be sent via the following contact form:

Deadline

Friday, March 31, 2023 - 15:00