Finding experienced freight forwarding professionals across the Netherlands and Belgium has become increasingly challenging.
The Benelux region sits at the centre of European trade. According to Eurostat and PortEconomics data, the Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, while the Port of Antwerp-Bruges ranks second, and Amsterdam Schiphol remains one of the continent's leading air cargo gateways. That concentration of sea freight, air freight and customs activity means demand for skilled operators, customs specialists, freight sales executives and senior leaders continues to grow. The pool of experienced candidates, however, remains relatively limited, and every forwarder in the region is competing for the same talent.
At Freight Appointments, we speak with freight forwarding employers and candidates across the Netherlands and Belgium every day. Those conversations reveal that the businesses hiring most successfully are rarely those offering the highest salaries. Instead, they are the organisations with clear hiring strategies, efficient recruitment processes and compelling long-term opportunities.
If you're recruiting freight forwarding professionals in the Netherlands or Belgium, here are the practices that consistently produce the strongest results.
Why Recruiting Freight Forwarding Talent in Benelux Is So Competitive
The scale of the Benelux logistics sector is exactly what makes hiring difficult. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges reports that it supports over 164,000 direct and indirect jobs and accounts for around 4.5% of Belgium's GDP, and it is home to roughly 1,400 companies, including the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe. Rotterdam anchors a comparable concentration of forwarders, carriers and logistics providers on the Dutch side. Add Schiphol's air cargo community and you have thousands of employers drawing from a shared, finite pool of experienced professionals.
For most employers, the issue is no longer attracting applications. It's attracting people with the right technical expertise, language skills, commercial awareness and sector experience to make an immediate impact.
Start With the Role, Not the Job Description
One of the biggest mistakes employers make is rushing to advertise a vacancy before defining exactly what success looks like.
A generic job description rarely attracts exceptional candidates.
Before beginning your search, consider:
- What problems will this person solve?
- Which technical skills are essential (for example, air freight, ocean freight, road freight or customs clearance)?
- Which language capability does the role genuinely require?
- Which skills can be developed after joining?
- What progression opportunities does the role offer?
- How will success be measured during the first 12 months?
The more clearly you define the opportunity, the easier it becomes to attract candidates who genuinely fit the role.
The Best Freight Forwarding Candidates Are Usually Passive
Many employers still assume the strongest candidates will apply for advertised vacancies. In reality, many of the most experienced freight forwarding professionals in the Netherlands and Belgium are already employed.
They are managing key customer accounts, leading operational teams at the ports, or developing commercial relationships for competing forwarders. These passive candidates rarely monitor job boards, yet they often represent the strongest talent available. Reaching them usually requires proactive engagement rather than relying solely on advertising.
Speed Has Become a Competitive Advantage
Experienced freight forwarding professionals rarely stay available for long. Delays between interviews, lengthy approval processes or slow feedback regularly result in employers losing preferred candidates to competitors, and in a market this concentrated, those competitors are often just down the road.
The businesses securing the strongest talent usually have:
- A clearly defined interview process.
- Decision-makers available throughout recruitment.
- Fast feedback following interviews.
- Competitive offers prepared quickly.
A slow recruitment process can be just as damaging as an uncompetitive salary.
Look Beyond Technical Experience
Technical expertise will always be important. However, many of the strongest hires combine operational capability with commercial awareness and strong communication skills.
Candidates who understand customer expectations, manage customs and compliance requirements confidently, and build long-term relationships often deliver significantly greater long-term value than those measured on shipment volume alone. When assessing candidates, consider not only what they have done, but what they are capable of contributing as your business grows.
Sell the Opportunity, Not Just the Salary
Competitive salaries remain important within freight recruitment. However, our conversations with candidates across the Netherlands and Belgium consistently show that salary is rarely the only factor influencing career decisions. Local expectations also matter: benefits such as a customary 13th month payment, travel allowances and pension arrangements are often weighed as carefully as base pay.
Beyond compensation, professionals increasingly ask about:
- Career progression.
- Leadership quality.
- Organisational stability.
- Flexible and hybrid working.
- Training and development.
- Company culture.
Employers who communicate these opportunities effectively often outperform businesses focused solely on compensation.
Build Relationships Before You Need to Hire
One of the most effective recruitment strategies begins before a vacancy exists. Maintaining relationships with specialist recruiters and building awareness of your employer brand allows businesses to respond much more quickly when hiring needs arise.
Rather than starting every search from scratch, employers can access established talent networks and market insight that significantly reduce hiring times.
Which Freight Forwarding Roles Are Hardest to Fill in the Netherlands and Belgium
While shortages vary by location and market conditions, employers across Benelux consistently report the greatest difficulty hiring:
- Customs and compliance specialists, where demand has grown alongside increasingly complex trade and border requirements.
- Air freight operators, particularly around the Schiphol air cargo community.
- Ocean freight and multimodal operators with experience across the Rotterdam and Antwerp trade lanes.
- Bilingual freight sales executives and business development professionals.
- Director and VP-level leaders with proven regional experience.
These are precisely the roles where advertising alone tends to underdeliver, and where proactive, network-led recruitment makes the biggest difference.
Why Specialist Freight Recruitment Matters
Freight forwarding is a highly specialised industry. Experience managing international shipments, customs requirements, multimodal transport, trade lanes and customer relationships cannot be assessed in the same way as general operational experience. Add the language and regional nuances of the Benelux market, and the case for specialist recruitment becomes even stronger. Working with recruiters who understand the sector, and the Netherlands and Belgium specifically, helps businesses identify candidates whose experience genuinely aligns with the demands of freight forwarding rather than relying solely on CVs and job titles.
Final Thoughts
Recruiting freight forwarding professionals in the Netherlands and Belgium continues to become more competitive. While salary remains an important part of the equation, the businesses achieving the strongest hiring outcomes are those with clear recruitment processes, compelling career opportunities, realistic language requirements and access to specialist talent networks.
As competition for experienced freight forwarding professionals continues throughout 2026, employers who invest in their recruitment strategy will be better positioned to secure and retain the talent needed for long-term growth.
Looking to Recruit Freight Forwarding Professionals in the Netherlands or Belgium?
Freight Appointments specialises exclusively in freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain recruitment, with active markets across the Netherlands, Belgium and the wider Benelux region, as well as the US, Canada, Germany and the Pacific.
Whether you're hiring import and export operators, customs professionals, air and ocean freight specialists, freight sales executives or senior leaders, our team provides the market insight and specialist recruitment expertise needed to secure experienced freight forwarding talent.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your hiring requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I recruit experienced freight forwarding operators in Benelux?
The most successful employers combine competitive salaries with clear career progression, efficient hiring processes and a strong employer brand. Many experienced freight forwarding professionals are passive candidates, making proactive recruitment increasingly important.
Why is it difficult to hire freight forwarding staff?
The industry has a limited supply of experienced professionals with specialist operational knowledge, customs expertise and commercial awareness. Demand for these skills continues to outpace supply across many areas of the market.
Should I use a specialist freight recruitment agency?
A specialist freight recruitment agency understands the technical requirements of freight forwarding roles and has access to established networks of experienced professionals, including passive candidates who are unlikely to apply through traditional advertising.
How long does it take to recruit freight forwarding professionals?
Hiring times vary depending on the role and market conditions. Specialist positions such as customs professionals, freight sales executives and senior leadership appointments often take longer because experienced candidates are in short supply.
What attracts freight forwarding professionals to a new employer?
While competitive salaries remain important, candidates increasingly value career progression, leadership quality, organisational stability, training opportunities and flexible working arrangements.
What roles are currently hardest to recruit in freight forwarding?
Many employers report the greatest recruitment challenges when hiring air freight operators, customs specialists, freight sales executives, export operators and Director or VP-level leaders.
