Employer tip of the month · October 2026
Rethink Your Recruitment Budget for October
With Felixstowe and Suffolk's logistics sector still facing skills gaps, it's time to review your hiring budget and approach for key roles.
This month, let's look at recruitment budgets. In our busy industry, it's easy to stick with what you know when it comes to attracting staff. But with demand for skilled people still high, taking a fresh look at where your money goes can make a real difference to your hiring success.
Understanding the Local Market
The recruitment landscape in Felixstowe, Ipswich, and wider Suffolk remains competitive. We currently have 17 live freight forwarding vacancies and 10 in warehousing, showing consistent demand in these areas. Driving roles also remain crucial, with 3 open positions.
Across these sectors, average salaries are a key indicator. Our data shows a median advertised salary of £33,500 for freight forwarding roles and £32,500 for warehousing. Driving roles command a higher median of £46,250. This highlights where salaries are being stretched to attract talent.
Where Your Budget Can Make an Impact
Consider where a modest increase in your recruitment spend could yield the best results. For example, if you're struggling to fill a specialist freight forwarding role, understanding the going rate is vital. Offering below the median £33,500 could mean fewer qualified applicants.
It's not just about salary. Are you allocating enough budget to professional development or attractive benefits? These can be powerful differentiators in a tight market. Think about roles that are consistently hard to fill or critical to your operations. Investing slightly more here can prevent costly delays or productivity dips.
What to do this month
- Review current salary bands: Compare your advertised salaries for your open roles against our local median data (e.g., £33,500 for freight forwarding, £46,250 for driving).
- Identify 'bottleneck' roles: Pinpoint the one or two roles that are hardest to fill or most critical to your operations.
- Consider a targeted budget adjustment: For those bottleneck roles, explore if a slight increase in salary or benefits budget could attract better talent.
- Evaluate your recruitment advertising spend: Is it reaching the right local candidates? Could a bit more investment in specialist job boards or local campaigns improve visibility?
- Discuss with your hiring managers: Get their input on roles they are struggling with and where they feel budget adjustments could help.
Want help putting this into practice?
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