While national unemployment levels hover in the 6% range, the supply chain industry – from material handling, to logistics, to supply chain management – faces a shortage of workers, according to logistics trade group MHI. In a March press release, MHI CEO George Prest called the lack of qualified workers the industry’s most important challenge.
"A workforce that’s aging contributes to the shortage, as does the increasing complexity and global expanse of supply chains that demand additional skills new workers need to master," Prest said in the release.
“The sophistication of the skillsets required to operate leading-edge equipment and system solutions require an equally sophisticated and well-trained workforce,” Prest wrote.
The retiring workers and growth in the supply chain industry will spur the creation of 270,000 new jobs a year through 2018 in supply chain, material handling and logistics, according to an MHI report, “U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling and Logistics” published in January 2014.
An example of potential growth can be seen in the one supply chain occupation tracked by the federal government. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects job growth for logisticians will be 22% through 2022, or double the overall national rate for new jobs. The BLS said the profession has an average salary of $76,300.
In addition to professionals at or approaching retirement age and the increased level of skills needed for workers, new graduates may have an outdated vision of the supply chain industry that deters them from entering the field, Prest said in an interview with Fortune published online May 1, 2014.
The industry needs workers trained in engineering, analytics and technology, he said in the Fortune article. There is also room for management-level workers who might consider switching careers from HR, marketing, data and executive positions, Prest said. Up to eight management positions are open for each applicant, he added.
The Fortune article said employers may have to look more intently at recruiting workers from other fields who can apply existing skills and learn the supply chain industry.
For those looking to shift careers into supply chain management or to begin careers in the field, advanced education programs such as an online Advanced Professional Supply Chain Management Certificate provide insight and instruction into areas such as the strategies and tactical implementations of supply chain, in addition to enhancing management credentials. These programs prepare students for positions in planning, manufacturing, procurement and distribution
Certificate courses offered by the University of San Francisco also prepare students to earn further credentials with professional certifications such as the Professional in Supply Management ® certification through the Institute for Supply Management™.
The certification requires passing three examinations and is open to those with three years of full-time supply chain management experience and a bachelor’s degree or five years of experience without a bachelor’s degree.
In an introductory column for the magazine MHI Solutions published in June 2014, Prest said today’s supply chains that often girdle the globe require companies to invest in and emphasize technology and innovation. However, many companies that want to make those investments are handcuffed by a lack of qualified workers, he said.
