The Shrinking Pool and the Big Opportunity

The shrinking pool... and the big opportunity

The UK jobs market is currently experiencing sustained and significant structural change. Like many of you, I've been grappling with this challenge recently so I've dug into the numbers to find out what's going on, and what can be done about it.

The ONS figures are stark. The UK has lost 1.3m workers since leaving the EU, while there are an estimated 1.8m fewer 15-24-year-olds now in the workforce. Add to that the 200,000 'missing' 55-60-year-olds who have retired or left the labour market post-Covid, and you've got 3.3m fewer potential workers out there.

We now have 1.1m job vacancies, and 1.64m unemployed people to fill them; that ratio is the lowest it's been in half a century, so if the market feels tight right now, that's why.

But my research (which you can read here), shows that this current squeeze isn't a blip. The pool of young people, the next generation coming through is significantly smaller, so this problem isn't going anywhere. But, just when we need it most, the technology is coming through to help us fill the gaps where the workers once were.

In this month's issue we highlight the sites where this automation opportunity is being put into practise, from removing manual checks on premium bottling lines to in-line tote inspection that also saves energy and water, via one high-tech solution to the challenge of fixing loading bay bottlenecks.

Thanks for reading,

Martin

Transforming traditional inspections:
Replacing manual checks at whisky distilleries

Last month we trialled an integration fix for premium glass bottle inspection at a whisky distillery that could replace manual checks for good. The issue was bottle shape - the neck in particular - and the danger was a badly-fitting cap after filling. Their old approach was a manual shadowgraph check every half hour - a slow and costly 'pass or fail' process. Our solution: a series of telecentric lights and cameras for in-line inspection at speeds of 5 bottles per second.

New developer support tools launched for Teledyne FLIR Lepton® micro thermal cameras

The Lepton® micro thermal camera can be found inside countless everyday products, from cars to rugged mobile phones. No bigger than a coin - these powerful sensors are smaller and faster than ever, allowing for use in new places where older cameras couldn't fit. Now Teledyne FLIR has launched a new suite of developer tools, to give customers and integrators the support they need to use the Lepton® to its full potential.

"Why has automation been so slow to arrive at the fastest place on site?"
Martin Hurworth writes in November's Handling & Storage Solutions

As labour shortages bite for fulfilment centres, eliminating unnecessary manual tasks has become essential, and handheld scanning in the loading bay is now the biggest single opportunity for automation. But in the highly controlled world of logistics, these fast-paced environments still have uncontrollable risks and high-stakes when it comes to pallet scanning. Automated door dock scanning could be the answer, as Martin Hurworth writes in this month's Handling & Storage Solutions.