2023-06-07 02:09:13
The supply chain needs specialists and to continue advancing in sustainability. The good news is that it has the power of attraction and the ability to incorporate solutions that respect the planet.
Logistics faces a double challenge: sustainability and the recruitment of specialized professionals. As a recent ManpowerGroup report notes, 78% of supply chain companies say they have difficulty finding the employees they need. Therefore, there is what is known as a talent mismatch.
For the second consecutive year, eight out of ten Spanish companies in the sector recognize the complexity in which they find themselves immersed when it comes to filling the jobs they offer. Therefore, there is a gap between labor demand and supply that it is urgent to reverse.
It is worth remembering where we come from. As Miquel Rosell, director of Executive Education at EADA Business School, points out, “we’ve been through a pandemic, we’re getting into a war in Europe, the supply crisis, high inflation, prices are rising, and to this is added the challenge of The sustainability. We need more and more strategies” and this involves attracting “qualified talentfrom the bottom up to the leadership positions”.
The logistics and transport sector continues to grow (last year it grew by more than 4.5%, according to data recently published by the EPA) and this increase is set to multiply with the advent of new digital systems that will make the service is increasingly efficient and sustainable. Thus, for example, it is estimated that with the automation and digitization of the supply chain, costs will be reduced by half in 2030.
However, for the development of this innovative panorama it is vital that the professionals involved adjust to the new needs. As the study ‘2023 talent mismatch’ reveals, among the most required technical skills are those related to information technology, data, engineering, customer service, manufacturing, sales and marketing. In addition, soft skills (the famous soft skills) are increasingly taken into account. The most sought after are resilience and adaptability, the ability to work in a team, reliability, the ability to solve problems and proactivity.
In the words of Rosell, “traditionally, the logistics sector has been and is very dynamic and resilient, but it has not always had that capacity to incorporate the right talent, perhaps because it is an area that is not so glamorous, although the challenges are tremendous”. In this sense, adds the expert, it would be interesting if “managerial positions had a better understanding of the business, a greater capacity for influence and leadership both to attract and retain workers”, so that they feel involved and motivated to contribute to the process. equipment.
It is a matter of drawing up strategic lines in which the training of professionals in the sector is the driving force. “It is important to ensure that knowledge is updated to understand and embrace technology and also to make the company more sustainable.“. Increasing your skills will narrow the gap between supply and demand and ensure even better results in the supply chain.
The ManpowerGroup report also emphasizes training as a loyalty tool. According to their conclusions, in order to achieve greater competitiveness, seven out of ten companies are considering updating the knowledge of their professionals in digital and transversal skills and in strategic management techniques.
It would be necessary to add the need to include in the working conditions, as highlighted by the EADA manager: “With more flexible hours and better benefits”.
Sustainability experts
Many of the profiles most in demand by the logistics sector are related to the sustainability of companies: sustainable logistics consultant, specialist in sustainable mobility or logistics emissions, project technician in adapting packaging to the circular economy, waste coordinator or director. of environment. All of them are called upon to play a key role in the transformation of companies and the achievement of carbon neutrality in 2050.
Fortunately, the logistics industry also enjoys great opportunities for improvement. For example, investing in technologies and processes capable of reducing the carbon footprint and promoting the use of alternative fuels for transport by road, sea and air. Similarly, the use of bicycles and electric or hybrid cars in supply chains is increasing.
However, progress is not going as fast as would be desirable. By way of example, it is enough to rescue the conclusions of some surveys. May Lpez Díaz, Director of Development at Companies for Sustainable Mobility, highlights the environmental cost of some of the most successful sales campaigns. For example, 50% of items purchased on Black Friday are returned. And during Christmas and sales, returns double.
“This translates into inefficiencies and overproduction that have a negative impact on the environment by bringing with it an increase in emissions generated by deliveries, more product and packaging waste, a high environmental impactgreater congestion in cities and worse air quality that we all breathe, whether we buy or not during these campaigns”. In short, although the entire industry wants to obtain maximum benefits, it is vitally important to continue creating business awareness to promote more sustainable.
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