Report: Hiring trends overlook needed technology skills

Companies are failing to hire technically savvy talent to fill supply chain jobs—a crucial error at a time when digitalization and automation are vital to optimizing supply chain processes, according to a report from Illinois-based supply chain technology firm Cleo, released this week.

The tech firm’s first annual Supply Chain Jobs Report examines what recruitment strategies say about the state of IT innovation and digitalization at U.S. supply chain-oriented businesses, including manufacturers, logistics providers, warehouses, and wholesalers/retailers. Key findings reveal that companies are failing to require software and related technology experience when hiring to fill supply chain-related jobs, and that supply chain-oriented roles are still highly manual at a time when companies should be “digitalizing roles and processes,” according to Cleo.

For the report, Cleo reviewed and scored requirements and responsibilities listed in 182 open U.S.-based supply chain jobs on Indeed.com prior to September 10, 2022, at logistics companies with reported revenues between $250 million  and $2 billion.

Key findings include:

• Only one-third (30%) of all roles require ERP experience and nearly half (42%) of managerial jobs require no software experience at all–demonstrating a lack of technology adoption across supply chain facilities and operations.
• The Midwest and Northeast regions are most lacking in technical supply chain roles—signaling increased competition for talent in those regions.
• Companies are not effectively using technology to optimize operations.

“These findings clearly point to a deep deficit in supply chain automation at a time when companies can least afford it. Software, technology, people, and processes have not come together in a transformational way that has truly permeated supply chain organizations,” Tushar Patel, chief marketing officer for Cleo, said in a statement detailing the report’s findings. “The data indicates that companies are failing to approach digitalization through an end-to-end lens that visualizes and analyzes supply chain operations across their internal and external ecosystems. The lack of recruiting for people skilled in modern software will result in organizations struggling to keep up with operational efficiencies—which are desperately needed in an increasingly fierce supply chain market.”

Visit Cleo’s website to download a copy of the report.