Business, Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics

DHL warns of talent crisis in supply chain

[ July 25, 2017   //   Chris ]

DHL is warning of a growing talent crisis in supply chain. While the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs in logistics are estimated to grow by 26% between 2010 and 2020, one global study estimates that demand for supply chain professionals exceeds supply by a ratio of 6:1, with some predicting that ratio could be as much as 9:1.

‘The Supply Chain Talent Shortage: From Gap to Crisis’ was commissioned by DHL and authored by Lisa Harrington, president of the lharrington group LLC. The study surveyed more than 350 supply chain and operations professionals in five global regions.

Harrington said, “Leading companies understand that their supply chains – and the people who run them – are essential to their ability to grow profitably. However, the task of finding people with the right skillsets required to run these highly complex operations is increasingly difficult – especially at the middle- and upper management levels. Unless companies solve this problem, it could threaten their very ability to compete on the global stage.

Top factors driving the talent shortage included changing skill requirements: Today, the ideal employee has both tactical/ operational expertise and professional competencies such as analytical skills, but 58% of companies say this combination is hard to find. But tomorrow’s talent must also excel at leadership, strategic thinking, innovation, and high-level analytic and technological capabilities.

As much as a third of the current workforce is at or beyond the retirement age. However, a third of companies surveyed have taken no steps to create or feed their future talent pipeline.

There is also a perception that supply chain jobs lack excitement, prestige and opportunities.

Harrington continues, “Companies are now recognizing that sourcing strategy has a large impact on their bottom line and ability to remain competitive. As one study recently found, companies that excel in talent management increased their revenues 2.2 times as fast and their profits 1.5 times as fast compared to ‘talent laggards.’ That’s a powerful advantage. Unfortunately, recruiting the right talent – especially at the critical mid-level and senior management levels – is proving very difficult in today’s environment. New technologies and fundamental areas of the supply chain have changed, meaning they now require that a person have a different and much larger skillset than required when most of the current workforce began their careers.”

http://dhl.lookbookhq.com/ao_thought-leadership_talent-gap

Tags: DHL