Check Call: The future of talent in the supply chain

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The Global Supply Chain Institute at the University of Tennessee Knoxville has published a study targeting development of the next generation of supply chain talent. The title of the paper, appropriately, is “Developing the Next Generation of Supply Chain Planning Talent and Leadership.” Finding qualified employees and retaining them is an area that all organizations are struggling with. The study identified five key concerns.

One is the shift in work modalities. The adoption of remote work and hybrid setups, as well as the return to office, has created a tough environment for businesses as each mode presents obstacles. Everything from maintaining productivity and fostering collaboration to ensuring effective communication hangs in the balance.

Another significant concern is the growing talent gap in the supply chain industry. Companies face a huge hole in available talent, especially as the demand for skilled professionals continues to rise. This imbalance forces organizations to reconsider their human resource practices, emphasizing the need for proactive talent development and recruitment strategies. Solutions can range from training and career development to a robust internship program that can take an intern to a full-time employee with little additional training or downtime upon starting.

Additionally, midlevel managers are under immense pressure, caught in what is often referred to as the “midlevel manager crunch.” These managers are tasked with training more senior employees to adapt to modern practices, all while managing their existing, often overwhelming workloads. This double burden not only stretches midlevel managers thin but also hampers their ability to drive meaningful change within the organization. More often than not, they remain stuck in their current positions because there isn’t an easy way to transition the workload over should they get a promotion or any career development.

A further concern is the lack of senior leadership in strategic planning. Many planners have not held senior positions with accountability for high-level, strategic initiatives. This gap produces a disconnect between day-to-day operations and long-term vision, which in turn makes it hard to adapt and create the resilient and flexible supply chain needed.

Lastly, companies are failing to integrate broad-based organizational actions that support talent development. Although educational programs may exist, they are often not paired with processes, metrics or incentives that encourage widespread growth. Organizations have to have systems that tie learning to performance and provide clear career progression paths.

Seeing the main issues laid out makes sense as they all tie into the major complaints everyone has either about hiring and retaining talent or working with employees who are frustrated in their positions.

TRAC Tuesday. This week’s TRAC lane goes from Los Angeles to Phoenix. The 370-mile jaunt stretches across the Southwest. Spot rates should be on the fall as outbound tender rejections in LAX are on the downside, dropping to 3.36% rejections. Taking the same path are outbound tender rejections in Phoenix, dropping to 2.69%. All-in rates for this lane should be about $1,200 before margin.

Capacity could rise in LA as retail peak season draws near. However, peak season isn’t expected to be the traditional mad grab for capacity as many shippers have pulled forward orders to avoid last-minute rushes and shortages where possible.

Who’s with whom? The Port of Los Angeles is putting up big numbers to round out 2024. The West Coast port is the busiest U.S. ocean container gateway and is on track to handle $1 trillion worth of imports in a single quarter. For reference, that’s enough money to buy the entire Miami Dolphins football team a thousand times.

The pace is aggressive, mostly due to retailers pulling forward holiday season orders to avoid supply chain snafus. About a year ago, import volumes were at $955 billion and previous quarters were at $990 billion.

FreightWaves’ Stuart Chirls quotes Gene Seroka, port executive director: “There is no evidence of a drop in the traditional slack season. There’s an early Lunar New Year in 2025 [in China] and while we’re weeks away from the presidential election, tariffs may spur early cargo as shippers look to avoid those extra costs. Then there’s the strength of the economy, and jobs and retail sales are up.”

When it comes to consumers. where there’s a will, there’s a way, and it looks like consumer spending habits will be the driving factor for this milestone.