3 Supply Chain Staffing Trends for 2021
"Companies in supply chain/logistics have been thriving since summer and struggling to hire, including warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing. Retail and call centers will also continue to grow," adds Beth Herman, regional sales director, Monster
-2021 Hiring Trends: Monster's Predictions for the New Year
2020 and 2021 brought changes in work structure for employers and employees worldwide. From work-from-home to social distancing precautions to changes in required staffing numbers, the supply chain industry has been no exception.
In this blog, we've rounded up a few key supply chain staffing trends for 2021 and beyond.
In 2018, the warehousing and distribution space was already predicting an increased demand for workers--for example, C.B.R.E. anticipated the need for over 452 000 warehouse and distribution workers, based on a ratio of 1 worker to each new 1 000 new square feet of warehouse space.
These existing trends only became more significant throughout 2020. During this unprecedented year, E-commerce and home delivery became more widely used and increasingly important. Some sources suggest warehouse employment is now at an all-time high. Additionally, due to shifts in stay-at-home-advisories, demand for qualified workers is not only rising but fluctuating.
Increased Importance of Last-Mile Deliveries
Similarly, the e-commerce boom has also led to an increase in demand for final-mile delivery drivers. According to a V.P. Sales cited in Freightwaves' fall 2020 article Final-Mile Adapts to E-Commerce Surge and Rise in Employment, "Recruiting, hiring, training and retaining the right drivers are major factors in driving employment figures." They also write that even the small fleets should embrace driver training and safety compliance standards to sustain this hiring trend while ensuring driver safety ad strong customer service. At Routeique™, several of our clients and partners have noted this trend, and our team is hard at work on a solution that will benefit both workers and employers.
Remote Work
Another hiring trend in 2021 will be the increased number of jobs requiring or offering remote work. Resources like Human Resources Executive have covered how remote work may be a trend that continues even after it is safe to return to workplaces due to its flexibility. SpendMatters suggests that this will benefit both employers and workers long-term: companies can draw from a wider talent pool, and job seekers can focus on fit rather than location. In the supply chain industry, this can translate into a need for additional software to enhance synchronization and real-time collaboration.
A Need to Foster New Talent
SDExec and American Supply Chain Management have both reported the importance of introducing the supply chain career path early. They write that "Partnerships with universities and other organizations will develop flexible programs to prepare current and future industry professionals to drive the supply chains of the future." Here at Routeique™, we fully agree, and we regularly work with practicum students from S.A.I.T. and have another exciting partnership with an educational institution in the works.
Have your hiring practices changed over the past year? Do you anticipate you will maintain these changes beyond 2021? Let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter!
