More than half (55%) of supply chain leaders expect that advancements in agentic AI will reduce the need to hire for entry-level positions, while 51% believe the technology will drive a shift to overall workforce reductions, according to Gartner, Inc.
“The highest performing supply chain organizations are using AI to reinvent how work gets done and how talent is developed. They are not treating AI as a blunt instrument for headcount reduction,” says Marco Sandrone, VP analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice. “The priority for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) should be redesigning roles, skills, and workforce processes, so people and machines can create value together.”
Key takeaways:
· 86% of respondents agree that adoption of agentic AI will require new processes for developing future talent pipelines, signaling a need to rethink how supply chain organizations build skills and utilize talent.
· High-performing respondents’ adoption of agentic AI was significantly higher than other respondents across procurement, production, logistics, warehouse management, and planning. As a result, the high-performing respondents were more likely to recognize that the traditional talent pyramid will change.
· Over the next two years, these high-performing leaders plan to prioritize upskilling talent for the AI era; using AI-enabled tools to optimize workforce planning and candidate engagement; and increasing automation and advanced technologies to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on manual labor.
“Entry-level roles as understood today may fade in importance, but supply chains will still need emerging talent that is highly adaptive and innovative,” says Sandrone. “As organizations identify new ways of working through the use of AI, they will also have an advantage in identifying and attracting the kinds of talent that will sustain these new working models, including successfully reskilling current staff to take on new, higher-value roles.”
