Demand for supply chain managers has increased following a series of global trade disruptions, propelling once-overlooked professionals into increasingly senior positions in multinational companies.
The number of U.S. job postings for supply chain managers on LinkedIn more than doubled between 2019 and 2022, according to data shared with the Financial Times.
UK jobs for construction site supply chain managers indeed increased by 22% between 2019 and 2021 as trade woes for many companies peaked, surpassing an 8% increase in the number total UK jobs advertised. Demand continued to grow last year, when openings were 36% higher than in 2019.
Recent crises, including Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, have led to shortages of highly publicized goods, from microchips to vegetable oil, putting supply chain issues at the center of boardroom discussions.
Lucy Harding, head of supply chain practice at headhunter Odgers Berndtson, said companies have realized they need to “recruit more older people. [Supply chain professionals] they have become more important”.
He added that executives responsible for supply chains were increasingly invited into meeting rooms and that companies had expanded teams of analysts who can identify potential supply chain problems before they happen, including those caused by political instability .
Before the pandemic, companies often sought to cut costs in their supply chains, but some blue-chip companies “were caught with their pants down” when shortages emerged, said Richard Wilding, professor emeritus of chain strategy. procurement at Cranfield University and consultant to multinational companies.
Companies have since invested in making their supply chains more resilient, he added.
BT has announced plans in 2021 to recruit 70 people into a new Dublin-based supply arm. The staff have since been planning how to protect the telecom group’s supply chain, including from holding “war games” to prepare for a potential conflict between China and Taiwan.
An executive at a major food manufacturer said they have created a “resilience team,” which identifies possible problems in the company’s supplier network. “We were saying, ‘We have to be better at this. We are calling for some experts in supply chain management,” the executive said.
Job vacancies in a number of professions have soared over the past couple of years, as employers ramped up hiring after the Covid-19 lockdowns and workers looked for new careers. But headhunters and supply chain managers said the hiring trend in the procurement sector was particularly notable.
Kory Kantenga, senior economist at LinkedIn, said heightened demand for supply chain professionals has eased as global pressures have eased in recent months.
The end of China’s zero Covid policy and falling consumer spending have helped relieve tension on manufacturers and shipping.
However, according to data from LinkedIn, demand for supply chain managers in the US during the first two months of this year remained 54% higher than the same period in 2019, and companies may face a shortage of people with the right skills.
“There’s a crisis in available talent,” Harding said. “These are first-time challenges for many senior leaders.”
Wilding added that the relatively small number of people with relevant supply chain skills had come under pressure.
LinkedIn and Indeed do not share data on the actual number of jobs posted on their websites.
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