Zero100 Data Reveals the Rising Supply Chain Skills of the Future

The Data

1. 1

   Zero100 data and analysis found natural language processing (NLP), systems thinking, data security, and circularity among the skills seeing a 50%+ increase in job post mentions (H2 2022 vs H1 2024).

2. 2

   Sales and ops planning, capacity planning, and freight handling are some of the skills in decline, with 25%+ fewer mentions.

3. 3

   Communication and analytics are stable skills, seeing no more than a 10% change up or down.

4. 4

   Hiring for product managers in supply chain roles rose by 25% between Q4 2022 and Q1 2024, with 76% of companies hiring for product managers within supply chain.

The Human/Machine Teams of the Future  

The digital revolution is fundamentally changing the world of supply chain, with those embracing technology seeing tangible benefits like increased revenue growth, margin growth, and quicker progress on SBTi targets. On a process level, the proliferation of digital tools means it is critical to ask who – machines or humans – does what work. And does the current state need to change to allow both people and machines to do their best work and drive maximum value?   

Answering these questions means acknowledging that digitization and AI in particular will destroy some jobs – but also is predicted to create more new ones. As it does so, the skills profile of the future is transformed. In tandem, the importance of change management is paramount.   

We delved into what this transformation looks like in reality, analyzing 449k job posts across 256 companies to see what skill changes are happening right now. Between the end of 2022 and the start of 2024, we found that some traditional supply chain skills are in decline (ie, there has been a 25%+ reduction in total job posts mentioning these skills). Communication and analytics are some of the skills we class as “stable,” with a 10% change up or down. And digital, business, and sustainability-related skills are among those on the rise, with a 50%+ increase in mentions. 

Overall, our data and research show that skills of the future are a blend of domain, digital, and business skills. It follows, then, that one of the roles of the future is product manager. The role embodies this blend of skills in the form of customer-centricity and collaboration across functions. And our data supports this: Hiring for product managers in supply chain roles rose by 25% between Q4 2022 and Q1 2024, with 76% of companies hiring for product managers within supply chain.   

Walmart Puts Upskilling into Action

Beyond more targeted recruitment strategies and practices, this skills shift involves recognizing the different roles teams and individuals play in your organization and ensuring employees can reskill or upskill. 

One example relating to digital skills can be found in Walmart’s partnership with Springboard. Walmart covers 100% of the cost of cohort-based programs, which combine mentorship with instructor-led sessions, for its employees. They focus on building skills in areas like data analytics and solving real problems as part of company-specific projects. 

The Takeaway

As the skills profile and talent needs of the future change in line with digitization, ask: what are the biggest areas of change for the organization based on digital strategy? How will skills change and what is the best way to organize those skills for impact? Not everyone needs to be able to code, but there needs to be a baseline level of digital literacy.  

And beyond this, in our recent talent report, we delve into the three personas that make up the future of supply chain talent – one of whom is translator. Critical and rare in organizations today, they are key when it comes to translating business needs into tech requirements.  

Put these considerations into practice with deliberate hiring strategies and extending or building skill sets across your organization, taking inspiration from companies like Walmart, which we mention above.  

To see a different data cut or to dig deeper into this topic, reach out to our Head of Research Analytics, Cody Stack, at Cody.Stack@zero100.com. 

Methodology 

Zero100’s proprietary data and analytics are a combined effort between our data scientists and research analysts. We provide data-first insights matched with our own research-backed points of view and bring this analysis to life via real-world case examples being led by supply chain practitioners today.   

For this study, we analyzed 449k LinkedIn job posts from 256 companies in H2 2022 and H1 2024.  

Further Reading  

• Research Report Preview: Meet the Supply Chain Worker of the Future: Critical Skills for the Age of Automation 
• The Signal: Tesla, Apple, AI, and the Future of Work 
• Data Insight: PLM Hiring in Sourcing Has Grown by 45% in Just 18 Months. Here’s Why