Setting the Standard for Productivity
Logistics professionals lead all industries in productive hours. According to ActivTrak’s 2025 State of the Workplace Report, the sector ranks1 first with 7 hrs 3 mins of daily productive time — 46 mins above the cross-industry average.
While the industry also tops workday length at 9 hrs 10 mins — 26 mins longer than the cross-industry average — that number has decreased by 8%, showing logistics professionals are maintaining their productive time within a shorter workday span.
Productive session time averages 28 mins 5 secs — nearly 4 mins longer than the cross-industry average and second only to insurance. Productivity efficiency is equally strong at 96%, also among the highest across sectors.
However, logistics ranks last in focused session time at 10 mins 42 secs — nearly 3 mins below the cross-industry average. This focus gap suggests a potential area for improvement, indicating that while logistics employees are highly productive, their work may be more interruption-driven than in other industries.
54% of supply chain and logistics leaders are focused on automating non-value-added and repetitive tasks, and half are co-mingling operations with other divisions to create scale and synergy. (Source: Supply Chain Management Review)
AI Adoption Leadership
Logistics leads all industries in technology adoption, with 72% of employees using AI tools — 14% above the cross-industry average. The sector also tops daily AI usage at 12 mins 36 secs — nearly 3 mins longer than the cross-industry average.
What makes these metrics especially noteworthy is the pace of change — reflecting a 250% increase in daily AI usage, the second-largest jump across all industries. This rapid integration aligns with the sector’s strong productivity performance.
Artificial intelligence is helping shippers and 3PLs enhance efficiency, accuracy and resilience. Both groups are aligned on their view of AI as a tool that can automate data analysis, identify patterns, solve problems and automate repetitive, mundane tasks. (Source: 2025 29th Annual Third-Party Logistics Study)
Balancing Workloads & Well-Being
Logistics presents a mixed picture on employee well-being. Seventy-two percent of employees maintain healthy work patterns — 2% above the cross-industry average — and only 8% of employees are underutilized, the lowest rate across industries and 14% below the cross-industry average.
However, burnout risk stands at 15% — 10% above the cross-industry average and the highest rank among all industries. This represents an 8% year-over-year increase since 2023.
These figures suggest that logistics’ impressive productivity may come at a cost — underscoring the need for strategies that protect employee well-being.
Weekend Work Patterns
Six percent of employees work weekends — slightly above the cross-industry average. Those working both Saturday and Sunday log an average 10 hrs 27 mins — nearly 4 hrs more than those who work only one weekend day.
This significant time commitment reflects the always-on nature of logistics operations and persistent staffing pressures.
Contextualizing Industry Performance
The broader cross-industry workplace trends from the report provide valuable context:
- The average workday is 36 mins (7%) shorter while being 2% more productive
- 70% of employees maintain healthy work patterns — the highest level in three years
- Remote-only workers show the highest daily productivity (+29 mins) vs. other worker types
- AI users show longer workdays (+8 mins), more collaboration time (+17 mins), but less focus time (-27 mins)
Logistics both embraces and diverges from these broader trends. While the industry leads in productive time and AI adoption, it maintains longer workdays and faces elevated burnout risk. These insights highlight a critical tension: productivity gains don’t always equate to better work-life balance — and logistics employers must navigate that trade-off with care.
Looking Ahead
As the logistics sector navigates ongoing labor shortages, supply chain complexity and accelerating technology transformation, balancing efficiency with sustainability will be key.
Organizations that actively reduce burnout risk while sustaining productivity gains will strengthen retention, resilience and long-term performance. In logistics, balancing output with employee well-being is emerging as a critical measure of effective workplace optimization success.
Learn more about workplace productivity trends in ActivTrak’s 2025 State of the Workplace report.
Notes: 1Dataset: N=774 companies with 23+ industries represented. Unless noted, all findings represent year-over-year comparisons between 2022 and 2024.
