The Ministry of Economy (SE) warned that there is a shortage of specialized personnel and logistics profiles in Mexico that affects sectors such as agri-food, where more than 50% of production is lost due to bad decisions.
“Our diagnosis is that there is a critical shortage of logistics profiles and specialized labor, a serious deficit in the sector,” said José Ignacio Aguado, Director General of Innovation, Services and Domestic Trade at the SE.
During the monthly meeting held by the Mexican Association of Intermodal Transport (AMTI) , he indicated that there are other countries that are growing more than Mexico in logistics matters, such as Brazil.
He indicated that the country requires 150,000 certified specialized technicians per year , since one of the weaknesses is training, evaluation and certification, expansion of ports, railways and logistics corridors, among other factors.
Claudia Alexandra Patrón, Director of Logistics and Supply Chain at the Ministry of Economy, said that despite the existing infrastructure, “ we are becoming less competitive in logistics performance every day . The Logistics Performance Index shows a drop of 15 positions by 2023; we would have to see if we have improved or are continuing to decline, but it is everyone’s responsibility to professionalize the sector, adopt better practices, and support SMEs in international markets.”
Regarding intermodal transport, he explained that it is necessary to know if there are certified operators , to make it more competitive and to visualize its importance, since in Mexico there are challenges to increase its participation in the movement of cargo.
However, he reiterated that skilled labor is also needed, otherwise negative impacts will occur.
“They need to have profiles that allow you to trace the cargo, ensure logistical security, and manage cargo operations if you handle SMEs or if you are an AEO operator, because we already have access to the ports, but who is in charge of transshipping the merchandise and making that transport connection?” he stressed.
He mentioned that among the country’s most important export sectors, the agri-food sector is projected to generate over $53 billion in exports by 2025, more than tourism or oil. Furthermore, it employs 61 million people.
He also noted that Mexico exports these types of products to 141 countries, and ranks 14th worldwide in terms of exports.
“But with all those exports, we are losing 50% of production due to logistical failures, poor management of the supply chain and distribution to the destination, due to time, procedures, operations, decision-making, a loss due to a deficiency in the decision-making of those who operate the supply chain,” he explained.
Therefore, José Ignacio Aguado highlighted that within the Mexico Plan there are goals to consolidate the country as a hub in advanced manufacturing, foreign trade, clean energy, among other actions that are being carried out from the Ministry of Economy.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Evangelina del Toro / @GrupoT21
