DHL RESEARCH BRIEF
THE SUPPLY CHAIN
TALENT SHORTAGE:
FROM GAP TO CRISIS
DHL Supply Chain
2 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
THE SUPPLY CHAIN TALENT SHORTAGE:
FROM GAP TO CRISIS
By Lisa Harrington, president, lharrington group LLC and
senior research fellow, Robert H. Smith School of Business,
University of Maryland.
The supply chain sector is facing a talent shortage that is quickly escalating from
a gap to a potential crisis. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs in
logistics are estimated to grow by 26 percent between 2010 and 2020 while one
global study estimates that demand for supply chain professionals exceeds
supply by a ratio of six to one.1 For every graduate with supply
chain skills there are six holes to be
Others put those numbers even higher. For every graduate with supply chain filled, and it could be as high as
skills there are six holes to be filled, and it could be as high as nine to one in the nine to one in the future
future, warns Jake Barr, CEO of BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting. The
Jake Barr, CEO
situation is exacerbated by the exodus of baby boomers from the workforce. BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting
Some studies assert that 25 to 33 percent of the current supply chain workforce
is at or beyond retirement age, and the backfill pipeline is inadequate to satisfy
replenishment demand.
Leading companies understand they must act to resolve this situation, or face
the effects of having the wrong kind of talent to run their supply chains. The
potential consequences are worrying in some industries the talent gap could
threaten the ability of companies to compete on the global stage.
So, what are organizations doing to address the problem? To find out, DHL
Supply Chain surveyed over 350 supply chain and operations professionals in the
five major regions of the world. This report summarizes the key findings.
1 Christopher Craighead and Kusumal Ruamsook, A Supply Chain Talent Perfect Storm? Supply Chain Management Review, 2014.
3 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
SURVEY RESULTS:
HIGH-LEVEL TAKEAWAYS
nn The factor with the greatest impact on the
talent shortage is changing job
requirements.
nn Today, the ideal employee has both tactical/
operational expertise and professional
competencies such as analytical skills. Fifty-
eight percent of companies say this
combination is hard to find. But
tomorrows talent must also excel at
leadership, strategic thinking, innovation
and high-level analytic capabilities.
nn Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents list
perceived lack of opportunity for career
growth and perceived status of supply
chain as a profession as having a high or
very high impact on their ability to find,
attract and retain talent.
nn Only 25 percent of the survey participants
say their company views supply chain as
equally important as other disciplines. In
contrast, 40 percent see supply chain
talents value in a situational context i.e.,
either a commodity or corporate asset,
depending on the level and position.
nn Leading companies are working on the
shortage problem. They are taking steps to
create more robust talent pipelines, and
develop their supply chain workforce
through clear career pathing, education,
cultural adaptation, talent development
partnerships and other means.
nn One third of companies surveyed have
taken no steps to create or feed their
future talent pipeline.
4 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
HIGH
DEMAND
IS NOT
THE MAIN
REASON
FOR THE
SHORTAGE
5 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
SURVEY RESULTS:
A CLOSER LOOK
Causes and effects
Without question, the overall demand for supply chain talent is driving a global
shortage. Sixty-seven percent of respondents to the DHL survey cited this as a
high or very high factor.
But, high demand is not the main reason for the shortage.
According to the responses, changing job requirements is the biggest single
driver behind the shortage. Eighty-six percent of respondents ranked this factor
at either a four or five high or very high in terms of its effect on companies
ability to find the right talent.
It is relatively easy to find people who are technically fit for jobs only 10 percent
of survey participants say they have a problem in this area. Finding talent with
solid professional competencies is a bit tougher 27 percent indicate difficulty.
But the real challenge today comes when organizations try to find talent with
both sets of attributes. Here, 58 percent report having had trouble.
HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT IS IT TO ACQUIRE TALENT WITH THESE SKILLSETS?
Talent with both sets
57.86
60% of competencies
Professional compe-
46.29
50% tencies (leadership
skills, analytical
35.91
40% thinking, innovation)
29.67
Technical/operational
27.30
26.41
30% competencies
20.18
19.29
20%
10.09
10.68
10%
5.35
4.45
3.86
0.59
0.89
0.59
0.30
0.30
0%
1 Easy 2 3 4 5 Difficult N/A
In terms of experience level, entry level people are easy to attract and hire.
Middle management is harder to find 46 percent of respondents indicate a
high level of difficulty. But executive level beats both, with 73 percent ranking
this category a five most difficult.
6 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
A related survey question asked what variables impact organizations supply
chain talent sourcing and retention. Interestingly, the top scoring elements on
this question all revolved around supply chains image as a career.
The industry has known for years that it has an image problem. The widespread
perception, especially in emerging markets, is this: Supply chain is not as good
a career as one in finance, operations, manufacturing, product development,
marketing or sales. While the industry has worked hard to change this
perception, judging by the DHL survey results, it still has a way to go.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents list perceived lack of opportunity for career
growth and perceived status of supply chain as a profession as having a high or
very high impact on their supply chain talent management endeavors. In a related
finding, 59 percent of survey participants report having difficulty retaining talent.
Companies themselves may be part of the problem. Only 25 percent of the
participants say their company views supply chain as equally important as other
disciplines. In contrast, 40 percent see supply chain talents value in a situational
context i.e., either a commodity or corporate asset, depending on the level
and position.
WHICH STATEMENT BEST CHARACTERIZES YOUR COMPANYS PERCEPTION
OF SUPPLY CHAIN TALENT?
Supply chain talent is both an operational
commodity and a strategic corporate asset, 39.7%
depending on the level and position
Supply chain talent is equally important as other 25.0%
disciplines e.g., manufacturing, sales, finance
Supply chain talent is an operational commodity 20.0%
Supply chain talent is a strategic corporate asset 12.9%
Other 2.1%
0 10 20 30 40
Another issue that may affect acquisition and retention is that organizations
appear to struggle with integrating old and new ways of working. Sixty-
two percent of survey participants report culture clashes around such issues as
how talent wants or expects to work, what kind of environment employees are
willing to work in, and how they expect to be managed.
7 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
Finally, despite dire headlines about the lack of a talent pipeline to backfill for
the baby boomer retirement bubble, only 37 percent of the DHL survey pool
rated an aging workforce as having a high or very high impact on their
organizations talent management environment.
Skills and strategies for tomorrow
Looking to the future, what skills will be required for the supply chain
professional of 2020? Interestingly, compared to the competencies valued highly
today, future requirements look very different. The primary emphasis broadens
to include more strategic abilities. When asked to rank the most important skills
a supply chain manager of the future must have, the top three responses were:
1. Leadership
2. Strategic and critical thinking
3. Problem-solving skills, creativity and imagination
PLEASE RANK THE SKILLS YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER OF THE FUTURE (BY 2020) MUST HAVE
Leadership and strategic
management skills 29.51% 18.69% 12.46% 11.15% 16.72% 11.48%
Strategic/critical
thinking 21.31% 20.33% 18.69% 16.07% 10.49% 13.11%
Operational
expertise 16.39% 11.15% 11.80% 14.43% 19.43% 26.89%
Problem solving skills,
creativity and imagination 15.08% 17.05% 23.61% 18.69% 14.75% 10.82%
People development/
mentoring/coaching skills 9.51% 20.98% 21.64% 18.69% 15.74% 13.44%
Technical,
analytic skills 8.20% 11.80% 11.80% 20.98% 22.95% 24.26%
1 Highest 2 3 4 5 6 Lowest
How confident are companies that they will have the right logistics talent,
technical and strategic competencies to meet their strategic objectives in 2020?
Forty-one percent of respondents are moderately certain they are prepared for
this issue, but only four percent are extremely confident.
8 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
What talent-related steps are businesses taking to ensure their 2020 supply
chain? Here, the survey suggests both good and bad news. The good news is
that nearly 50 percent of respondent organizations have recognized that
logistics and the supply chain are strategic assets, although only one third of
them are organizationally aligned along a clear talent roadmap.
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS HAS YOUR ORGANIZATION TAKEN TO CREATE AND FEED ITS
SUPPLY CHAIN TALENT PIPELINE?
Recognized logistics/supply chain as a 49.8%
strategic asset with an attractive career path
within the organization
Adapted culture to support changing 36.9%
demographics, workforce needs and preferences
Established a clear talent development roadmap 35.5%
and aligned organization to support it
Have not taken any steps to create or 31.7%
feed the supply chain talent pipeline
Created strategic talent partnerships/ 28.9%
alliances to feed talent pipeline (e.g.,
collaboration with universities, logistics firms)
Gained executive buy-in/commitment 28.2%
into talent strategy for next three years
Other 5.9%
0 10 20 30 40 50
The bad news is that 32 percent of the companies surveyed have not taken any
steps to create or feed their supply chain talent pipeline for the future. In a
competitive environment, where human capital provides the intellectual,
strategic and operational excellence that differentiates winners from losers, such
inaction seems a risky course indeed. Forty-two percent do not have a talent
management strategy in place to support their needs over the next three years,
and 15 percent dont know whether such a strategy exists in their organization.
DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE A TALENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN PLACE DESIGNED TO
MEET YOUR NEEDS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS?
Yes 43.2%
No 41.5%
Dont know 15.2%
0 10 20 30 40
9 DHL Research Brief: The Supply Chain Talent Shortage
For those companies with a plan for growing their supply chain workforce,
what tactics do they deploy? The top-scorers include:
nn 65 percent of companies encourage professional development through
such means as certifications and in-house training
nn 44 percent of companies are creating an adaptive, flexible work environment
nn 34 percent provide clear opportunities for career growth
nn 32 percent have established job rotation programs
Looking at the issue of attracting and retaining talent for the long term, what
should companies offer to attract and keep talent? On an aggregated score,
compensation and benefits took first place. Notably though, management
commitment to talent development ranked second.
PLEASE RANK THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES IN TERMS OF THEIR IMPORTANCE TO A TALENT
DEVELOPMENT/RETENTION PROGRAM
Compensation & 5.8
benefits
Management
commitment to talent 5.7
development
Clear career path 5.6
Work environment 5.4
Training and 5.3
development
Recognition awards 4.9
0 1 2 3 4 5
A powerful opportunity
The supply chain industry has a clear challenge ahead of it in tackling the talent
shortage issue. Companies have made progress, but theres still a long way to
go. As such, there are tremendous opportunities for improvement. And the
rewards are worth the effort. As a Boston Consulting Group 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 as talent laggards.2
2 https://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/study-finds-link-between-talent-leadership-and-financial-performance/
For further information
For the latest supply chain
insight and resources, visit
dhl.com/supplychain
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