Contract logistics firm DHL Supply Chain is hiring and retaining more warehouse workers thanks to innovative company-wide efforts to address today's talent gap, the company said today.

The Westerville, Ohio-based company has launched a broad hiring and retention initiative that uses increased process automation for its hourly workers, establishes a network of regional recruiting centers and provides more scheduling flexibility for hourly workers, the company said.

The changes have improved DHL's quantity and quality of applicants and reduced the applicant-to-hire timeframe, the company said. In less than a year, DHL says it has hired more than 5,000 new hourly workers to meet growing labor demands. What's more, DHL says it is receiving 445 applications per day and is spending roughly 32,000 fewer hours per year on administrative hiring tasks.

Specifically, DHL has integrated an hourly recruiting and onboarding system that automates each step of the recruiting process, from online applications received via its new social recruiting site www.WorkforDHL.com, to pre-hire testing to onboarding. The company has also created centralized recruiting centers across the country, each using the same systems, processes and tools, with dedicated recruiting resources.

Once on the job, new applicants get enhanced orientation and training, and increased scheduling flexibility. In certain markets, employees can use a mobile app to select shifts that best fit their schedule, according to DHL.

"The talent gap is one of the most significant issues facing our industry, and we want to be at the forefront of the solution," said Tim Sprosty, senior vice president of human resources at DHL Supply Chain. "We believe the supply chain industry offers a wealth of opportunity to the right applicants, and our goal is to drive that message, and ensure it is easy for qualified applicants to enter the industry and rewarding for them to stay."

DHL is using its new tools and initiatives in the United States, and will launch the program in Canada during the first quarter of 2019, the company said.