The next big shortage to watch? Supply chain skills.

According to research by Logistics UK, 89% of people working in this field are white and 83% are men. Not only does this sector lack diversity, but it’s also growing stale as more and more of the ageing workforce retire, employers are struggling to find replacements.

One of the key factors restricting the inflow is that lots of these roles are at risk of becoming automated to extinction. There are also media reports highlighting failures in important supply chains and their ramifications, may well have deterred potential entrants to the field.

Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes (head of the Centre for Supply Chain Improvement at the University of Derby) has noted that sectors such as tourism, healthcare and IT have faced similar issues in the past and had to improve pay and conditions to become more attractive career options. If supply chain businesses don’t take similar action then their could be serious consequences, such as operational inefficiencies, delays and increased costs for both companies and consumers.