About 1,300 jobs are on offer in the logistics sector, with one in three for PMETs, or professionals, managers, executives and technicians.

These make up over 60 per cent of the more than 2,100 job, traineeship and training openings available as at the end of last month, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in its weekly jobs situation report yesterday.

The PMET jobs include roles such as regional business sales managers and business development managers, with monthly salaries of between $4,000 and $7,000. The median monthly pay is $5,000.

Meanwhile, the salary for logistics managers is $3,700 to $7,250 a month, with a median of $5,500.

The bulk of the jobs - about 64 per cent - are non-PMET roles as the sector requires a workforce for functions such as warehousing, transport and value-added services like labelling and packaging.

These non-PMET jobs include roles for transport clerks, who typically receive monthly salaries of $1,900 to $2,400, with a median of $2,175. Material and freight handling workers earn between $1,600 and $2,350 monthly, with a median of $2,050.

Apart from jobs, there are about 510 company-hosted traineeships and attachments, as well as 290 training opportunities.

The ministry disclosed that about 710 people were placed into jobs, traineeships and training positions in the logistics industry between April and last month.

Nearly 600 of them found jobs, and more than 40 per cent of these people were mature workers. Others have enrolled in attachment and traineeship programmes, such as in logistics analytics and supply chain management, since June.

Employers in the sector are open to job seekers with working experience in other sectors, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo at a virtual media conference.

Speaking after a visit to German logistics firm DB Schenker's Red Lion facility in Changi, she noted that these workers bring a wealth of experience and networks from other sectors that can help logistics firms further their business interests.

Amid the pandemic, the sector has suffered a severe drop in airfreight capacity, a shortage of workers because of border lockdowns, and lower efficiency owing to safe distancing measures.

But its effects on the industry have been uneven.

Those serving hard-hit sectors, such as aviation and aerospace, saw a steeper decline in business, while those providing e-commerce and last-mile fulfilment services as well as those serving critical sectors like healthcare saw a surge in demand.

Businesses that were able to adapt swiftly to snap up new business opportunities arising from the pandemic also remained resilient, said MOM.

Over the years, many logistics firms have adopted new technology and capabilities, including artificial intelligence and robotics, as part of their transformation efforts and created higher-value roles in the process.

The Covid-19 situation has sped up the growth of e-commerce services and adoption of technology.

To support the industry's labour needs, Workforce Singapore has worked with firms to take in workers from hard-hit sectors, such as aerospace, aviation and hotel sector, on a secondment basis.

Between April and last month, nearly 380 workers in these hard-hit sectors continued working via such arrangements.

When asked about the low starting pay for non-PMET jobs, Mrs Teo said it is important to have a spectrum of opportunities.

"Of course, everyone would like to get the job that offers them the best overall package, but a lot of job seekers are quite forward-thinking," she noted.

"Often, the job seeker will also consider what is the prospect for further development. In logistics, given that it is still a growth area... that pathway is available to people."