Supply and demand
supply chain sector faces a looming talent shortage, with demand for supply chain professionals expected to outstrip supply by six to one.
Researchers from Deakin University have developed a tool that showcases career paths, dispels stereotypes and seeks to increase diversity in the sector.
As coronavirus inflicts economic turmoil around the world, modern supply chains face unprecedented stress in a sector that was already experiencing major change.
Even before COVID-19, supply chain business models were being transformed by globalisation (and an increasingly volatile geopolitical situation), urbanisation, disruptive technologies and by rising consumer expectations for rapid and trackable delivery of goods.
Almost every aspect of the supply chain has been changing at a scale and pace never seen.
A once-invisible sector is now firmly in the spotlight, exposing its fragility at a time when just-in-time manufacturing and almost instant delivery are increasingly becoming the norm.
But the sector has responded with agility, and COVID-19 has opened up opportunities for new business models, new ways of working and new career opportunities.
The sector also faces a looming talent and capability shortage. One of the biggest challenges for supply chain chief executives is how to attract, manage and motivate a workforce with the diversity and capabilities this fastchanging environment requires. The current supply chain workforce is ageing and largely male.
Recent research by Deakin University’s Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics (CSCL) identifies a number of factors driving Australia’s supply chain talent shortage, including lack of understanding about the sector and the breadth of career opportunities it offers, lack of awareness about career pathways and a “boys’ club” image that discourages women from applying.
Informed by this research, CSCL’s Dr Roberto PerezFranco, Jennifer Jones and Dr
Patricia McLean developed a supply chain digital career map, which aims to encourage a new generation of professionals into the booming supply chain sector.
The research was funded by Australia’s Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre (trading as FIAL) and the 16 companies that sponsor Wayfinder: Supply Chain Careers for Women, an industry initiative established to increase diversity in the supply chain talent pipeline.
The digital career map showcases more than 150 supply chain roles in 18 sectors, linking jobs to qualifications (from vocational certificates to master’s degrees), years of experience, and indicative salary.
Encouraging more women to enter the sector was one of the core aims of the digital caTHE reer map, and the tool includes embedded videos that showcase inspirational women working across all levels in the sector.
Wayfinder’s digital career map will help careers teachers, recruiters and the next generation of supply chain talent better understand the breadth and depth of career opportunities available in 21st century supply chain and logistics careers.
The tool’s focus on transferable skills means it can also inform companies looking to retrain their current workforce as skill demands shift.
CSCL director and Wayfinder and cochair Dr Hermione Parsons said the supply chain career map would show people the huge range of career opportunities available.
“Now, more than ever — with the pandemic placing unprecedented stress on a sector already experiencing unprecedented transformation — we need people who can deliver outcomes and deal with increasing supply chain complexity,” Dr Parsons said.
“It is essential to break down some of the barriers to talent acquisition in the sector and that’s exactly what we hope the career map will do.”