☀️ LME Recruitment Monthly Update for June ☀️
blog · 1 June 2026
June 2026: Shipping & Logistics Hiring Trends in Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex
(Peak season prep, holiday cover & driver demand)
June is the month businesses stop planning for summer and start living it. Volumes climb, holiday requests land, and the teams that prepared in May are already ahead.
Across Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex we're seeing strong demand for drivers, warehouse operatives and freight forwarding staff — and candidates who know their worth.
🚛 1) Holiday cover is the number one headache
Book temps before the rota breaks
Annual leave peaks from mid-June onwards. The businesses that stay calm are the ones with a temp bench already briefed and compliance-checked. If you wait until someone calls in, you're recruiting against the whole region.
⚓ 2) Port and freight volumes climb
Felixstowe and the wider east coast stay busy
Container volumes and customs work are up on spring levels. Freight forwarders are hiring for import/export clerks and customs specialists — experienced people are moving quickly, often with more than one offer.
💷 3) Pay expectations keep rising
Rates are being tested every month
Candidates are comparing hourly rates, shift patterns and overtime more openly than ever. A small uplift, a clearer rota or a genuine progression conversation is often the difference between an accepted offer and a lost one.
🎯 Hot roles this month
- 🚚 HGV Class 1 & 2 Drivers — Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex
- 📦 Warehouse Operatives & Forklift Drivers — temp to perm available
- 🌍 Import & Export Clerks — freight forwarding
- 📋 Transport Planners & Logistics Administrators
👋 Working with LME
Whether you need one temp for a fortnight or a full summer team, we'd rather have a straight conversation than send you a pile of CVs. Get in touch and tell us what the summer actually looks like for you.
Jobs. People. Sorted.
