Automation is reshaping where logistics teams put their hiring effort. The UK government reports that sectors like retail and logistics are already actively integrating AI to improve customer insights and streamline functions such as inventory management and supply chains AI Adoption Research - GOV.UK. As storage and fulfilment move towards automated systems, the people who keep that equipment running become central to the operation.
There's plenty of room to grow. The International Federation of Robotics found UK utilisation of industrial robots substantially lags internationally, using only 101 robots per 10,000 workers in 2020 Smart Machines Strategy 2035 - GOV.UK. The UK ranks 24th in global robotics density, and targeted innovation and digital investment could add £150 billion to the UK's GDP by 2035 Making it Smarter: Global Lessons for Accelerating Automation and Digital Adoption in UK Manufacturing - Make UK. As that investment lands, demand for technicians who install and maintain automated storage follows.
Automation is one of the biggest forces changing jobs on the ground. Six in ten (59%) manufacturers cited automation and half (50%) cited wider digitalisation as trends changing jobs and skills needs, with 74% expecting demand for cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to increase by 2030 Make UK – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. For automated storage, that translates into roles like maintenance technicians, controls and electrical engineers, and systems specialists who can read data and fix faults fast.
Employers are also building these skills from within. Some 40% of manufacturers are looking to upskill their existing workforce, specifically for redeployment as a result of automation and digitalisation, a figure that rises for firms with more than 1,000 employees Make UK Executive Survey 2026. Apprenticeships are growing too: they have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report. So the talent pipeline mixes experienced engineers, redeployed warehouse staff and apprentices.
Start with the fault, not the job title. Write the role around the specific systems in your facility, the shift pattern and the response times you need, so applicants can see themselves doing the work. Because the right technician might come from a redeployment or apprenticeship route, widen your criteria to include people with strong diagnostic and problem-solving skills, not only those with an exact title match.
When you need a technician fast, we search a database of 15 million candidates and build a ranked shortlist in under 30 seconds, then help you contact matched people in under a minute and book interviews in under three minutes. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you're hiring for automated storage roles now, start your shortlist today with Reed.ai and see who's out there.
