Addressing the qualification gap in supply chain labor

As businesses offer more incentives to try to gain the attention of potential workers, warehouse labor remains difficult to find and retain. A significant gap between qualified workers and open positions existed before the pandemic and has been exacerbated by the increase in eCommerce over the last year. The gap exists primarily in positions beyond entry-level. As the macroeconomy continues to shift, employers are looking to both diversify their labor pools and automate many repetitive tasks.

“When we look at the supply chain talent pool by demographic, people of color—specifically women—are not compensated as highly as their male counterparts are for a variety of reasons,” Eshkenazi observes. “This is an area that the [industry] can really dig into because there are opportunities to hire individuals, but companies just need to open up their apertures on the talent pool, as opposed to what we’ve historically ‘looked at’ when hiring supply chain professionals.”

DOD demonstrates prototype for smart warehouse tech

The Department of Defense has successfully demonstrated their 5G network designed to enhance logistics technology and increase warehouse efficiency.

“The 5G Initiative consists of three “thrusts”: Accelerate – to stimulate the use of 5G technology through experimentation and advanced prototyping of dual-use applications; Operate Through – to develop technology to secure 5G and enable the secure use of non-secure networks, and Innovate – to perform the research and development necessary to win at 6G and beyond.”

Biden Administration addresses Supply Chain concerns

On Tuesday, the Biden Administration announced the creation of a task force as well as steps the government plans to take to address the disruptions to the supply chain that were caused by the pandemic. The action came after a governmentwide review and is intended to both relieve the supply chain of its current stress and reduce America’s reliance on products from overseas. The administration also announced plans for climate action.

“The officials also outlined steps that had been taken to address an executive order from President Biden that required a review of critical supply chains in four product areas where the United States relies on imports: semiconductors, high-capacity batteries, pharmaceuticals and their active ingredients, and critical minerals and strategic materials, like rare earths.”

Read this previous article on labor from Steve Mulaik 

 

Suppy chain and logisitcs recap

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