By far the most common questions I’m asked by both hiring managers and job seekers is: What’s up with the job market? Are we seeing a slowdown because of the recession?

My answer is: the Canadian supply chain job market is on fire! And we don’t see it slowing down any time soon.

We see three big reasons for this hot market.

Firstly, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the importance of strong and efficient supply chains to the forefront. Supply chains that were once invisible suddenly became hot news topics. Companies are now investing in improvements and looking for supply chain experts who can help them make it happen, creating a huge number of vacancies.

Another reason for the demand in supply chain professionals is a high number of retirements in the industry. Some of these are simply due to an aging workforce, but we also saw an increase in the number of retirements because of the pandemic. With experienced workers leaving the workforce, companies are searching for new talent to fill their shoes and keep their supply chains running smoothly.

Finally, technology has transformed supply chains over the last several years, and is continuing to do so. This has created a number of new and exciting jobs in the sector. The use of AI, machine learning, automation, and other technologies has greatly improved supply chain processes. Companies are eager to embrace these advancements and are in search of experts with the skills to integrate these tech-savvy tools into their supply chain operations.

The number of vacancies in the supply chain sector outweighs the available talent. And we see this trend continuing for the next several years, independent of what happens with the Canadian economy.

What are you seeing in the job market? I would love to hear your thoughts on this, please add your comments below.