News

Supply chain companies are failing to retain vital workers due to a lack of career opportunities, low pay and a lack of benefits.

In the UK 59% of professionals working in supply chain and logistics have said they plan to move roles this year, while in the US the figure is 77%.

Recruitment experts say firms are not listening to employees, while two years of supply chain disruption has created “fierce” competition to fill roles.

Research by Hays found a lack of future opportunities was the most common reason listed for wanting to move (27%), followed by wanting a better salary and benefits package (26%).

Over half (55%) of supply chain workers said they would be tempted to move job for a better salary and benefits package.

Scott Dance, director of procurement and supply chain at Hays, told Supply Management: “A consequence of the disruption to the procurement and supply chain landscape over the past two years is that competition for talent is fierce. 

“Employers will need to act fast to secure the professionals they need to help their organisations navigate the challenges still to come, meaning hiring managers should be briefed as a matter of priority as soon as a vacancy is identified. With many candidates often having up to four or five job offers to choose from, speed-to-hire is more important than ever.”

He said a strong employee value proposition from both a company-wide and personal perspective is “critical” to attracting the right talent and companies must be more inclusive to retain workers. 

“The value, furthermore, that professionals increasingly attribute to diverse and inclusive hiring practices cannot be ignored,” he said.

“Committing to the use of inclusive language and diverse imagery in recruitment materials, ensuring hiring panels are convened to take in a range of opinions and providing conscious inclusion training to key stakeholders are examples of purposeful action that will help to attract and retain talent staff.” 

Meanwhile US supply chain recruitment firm WorkStep found 77% of supply chain workers were considering leaving their current role in the next three months.

WorkStep said the average cost of losing a single frontline worker is roughly $12,876. 

Nearly half (46%) of surveyed supply chain workers had been in their current role for less than one year, and 54% said they had switched jobs in the past year.

Two-fifths (38%) said they were considering leaving because of limited career growth opportunities. A further 72% said career growth opportunities were a top priority when choosing a new role. 

All (100%) said flexibility, schedules and hours influenced their decision on whether to take a new role. 

WorkStep said: “We’re in an era where employees are empowered to seek opportunities based on their needs. That’s why it’s more important than ever that companies are listening to workers and actively making changes to meet those needs.”

The research said companies were hindering their ability to retain staff by not asking for feedback from employees, with 41% of respondents saying management never sought feedback. “Creating a retention strategy this way will always be unsuccessful,” WorkStep said.

For supply chain workers who said their companies do seek feedback, 8% said they’re only asked to provide it once a year and 70% felt their voices weren’t being heard.