Ambassadors for #DiversityInTransport

Transport is one the EU's key sectors, keeping the economy moving and ensuring the delivery of goods and services. Within the EU, the transport sector employs over 10 million workers, accounts for 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) and comprises ~1.1 million enterprises. Transport also enables the movement of people, which is vital for social inclusion and ensuring well-being.

However, the EU transport sector is currently facing several challenges, including an ageing workforce, staff shortages, a lack of competitiveness, poor resilience to external shocks (such as wars or pandemics) and climate change. In addition, the sector is undergoing significant changes including automation, digitalisation and the rising use of alternative energy sources. To deal with these challenges and trends, it is imperative that the sector becomes more diverse and inclusive, as this gives the sector a competitive advantage by offering a variety of different perspectives, skills, and experiences[1]. However, among transport workers at present only 22% are women, even less (2 – 5%) for certain professions, such as pilots, train drivers and seafarers. Furthermore, the employment rate of people with disabilities is below 50%, much lower than the overall employment rate (72.5%)[2].

Among transport users, factors such as gender, age, employment, income, education, car ownership and household size negatively impact the extent to which individuals can access and utilise transport[3]. Often multiple socio-economic disadvantages interact, limiting individual’s ability to access and make use of transport solutions. For instance, women with disabilities, who travel with several children and who do not have access to a car or who cannot afford public transport are generally worse off than other groups of the population and are therefore at a higher risk of social exclusion[4].

The Ambassadors for #DiversityInTransport network seeks to promote diversity, equality and inclusion within the EU transport sector, through raising awareness and sharing information on and developing and implementing initiatives to promote diversity in the EU transport sector, both from the perspective of transport workers and transport users. 

Interested? See if you have what it takes to become an Ambassador:

• What we look for in an Ambassador?
• What are the benefits to becoming an Ambassador?
• What are the ambassadors selection criteria?
• Apply here - we warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply!  

For more information, please email diversity_ambassadors@panteia.nl