Demand for supply chain managers has soared following a series of disruptions in global trade, pushing once-neglected professionals into increasingly important positions in multinational corporations.
The number of US supply chain manager job postings on LinkedIn more than doubled between 2019 and 2022, according to data shared with the Financial Times.
Between 2019 and 2021, when trade concerns peaked for many businesses, vacancies for UK supply chain managers on recruitment website Indeed rose by 22%, outpacing an 8% increase in the total number of UK jobs advertised. Demand continued to rise last year, with openings 36% higher than in 2019.
Recent crises, including Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, have resulted in well-publicized shortages of commodities ranging from microchips to vegetable oils – putting supply chain issues at the center of boardroom discussions.
Lucy Harding, head of supply chain at executive search firm Odgers Berndtson, said companies have realized they have to “hire more senior people. (Supply chain professionals) become more important.”
Supply chain executives are increasingly being invited to boardrooms, she added, and companies have been expanding their teams of analysts who can spot potential supply chain problems before they occur, including those caused by political instability. question.
Richard Wilding, professor emeritus of supply chain strategy at Cranfield University and consultant to supply chain strategy, said that before the pandemic, companies often sought to cut supply chain costs – but as supply chains The emergence of shortages, some blue-chip companies “helpless” multinational corporations.
Since then, businesses have started investing to make supply chains more resilient, he added.
BT has announced plans to recruit 70 staff in 2021 for a new procurement unit in Dublin. Employees have since been planning how to secure the telecom group’s supply chain, including by holding “war games” to prepare for a potential conflict between China and Taiwan.
An executive at a large food producer said they had created a “resilience team” that could identify possible problems in the company’s supplier network. “We said, ‘We need to get better at this. Let’s get some experts in supply chain management,'” the executive said.
There has been a surge in vacancies across many occupations over the past few years as employers ramped up hiring following the Covid-19 lockdown and workers sought new careers. But hiring trends in procurement are particularly notable, according to executive hunters and supply chain managers.
The strongest demand for supply chain professionals has eased as global pressures have receded in recent months, said LinkedIn senior economist Kory Kantenga.
The end of China’s zero-Covid policy and a drop in consumer spending have helped ease pressure on manufacturers and the shipping industry.
But with demand for U.S. supply chain managers still 54% higher in the first two months of this year than in the same period in 2019, according to LinkedIn data, companies may face a shortage of people with the right skills.
“The available talent crunch,” Harding said. “For many senior leaders, these are first-time challenges.”
Wilding added that the relatively small number of people with relevant supply chain expertise was under pressure.
LinkedIn and Indeed do not share data about the actual number of jobs posted on their sites.