Cleo Finds Only a Fraction of Supply Chain Jobs Seek Essential Software, AI Knowledge

New report from Cleo shows gaps in digital skills among supply chain roles, likely impeding companies’ digital transformation goals

Cleo, the pioneer and global leader of the Ecosystem Integration software category and provider of the Cleo Integration Cloud (CIC) platform, today announced findings from its second Supply Chain Jobs Report, an analysis of publicly available supply chain job openings. The findings highlight a significant discrepancy between business goals and the software and technology needed to accomplish them.

Key takeaways from the Cleo 2024 Supply Chain Jobs Report include:

• Only 6.5% of job openings include the term “automation,” while even less, only 1.6% of job openings, include the term “artificial intelligence or AI.”
• Half (54.3%) of evaluated supply chain jobs include some form of software knowledge.
  • Less than a quarter (21.4%) of supply chain jobs included the requirements of enterprise resource planning (ERP) knowledge, a key technology in supply chain operations.
• Only 4.9% of job openings included broad data management responsibilities (“data management,” “data visualization,” “data mining,” “data insights,” and “data-driven decision making”), critical to integrating information dispersed throughout the supply chain.
• Correlation between salary and the number of supply chain software applications a candidate needs to know underscored a trend of higher pay for greater software knowledge.

“These findings indicate a significant discrepancy in the supply chain industry’s push toward digital transformation and the foundational skills actually being prioritized in the workforce,” said Tushar Patel, CMO at Cleo. “Without requiring software skills for new roles, businesses risk falling behind on operational efficiency and sustained profitability goals. The lack of basic data integration required within job responsibilities tells us that most organizations are at-risk of maintaining status quo – forcing their teams to remain reactive instead of proactive toward supply chain disruptions.”

These results point to a persistent overreliance on manual processes at the expense of digital-first strategies, indicating that many supply chain roles are still grounded in legacy methods. In parallel, the data shows that while companies increasingly value candidates with advanced software skills and are willing to pay higher salaries for those skills, strikingly few companies are actively shopping for people with them. Still, there is a clear trend toward rewarding digital fluency, with organizations prioritizing candidates who can contribute to long-term digitalization goals.

Patel continues, “Cleo’s research underscores that without a stronger emphasis on digital skills in job requirements, organizations will delay the adoption of end-to-end digitalization, which is essential for a fully connected and resilient supply chain, in today’s unpredictable world.”

Access the full report here on cleo.com

Methodology

Cleo reviewed and scored requirements and responsibilities listed in 925 open U.S.-based supply chain tech and business operations jobs on LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Talent.com, and many other job search websites prior to October 1, 2024, at logistics companies with reported revenues between $500 million and $2 billion.

About Cleo Integration Cloud

Cleo Integration Cloud (CIC) is a cloud-based integration platform, purpose-built to design, build, operate, and optimize critical ecosystem integration processes. The CIC platform brings end-to-end integration visibility across API, MFT, EDI, and non-EDI integrations, giving technical and business users the confidence to rapidly onboard trading partners, enable integration between applications, and accelerate revenue-generating business processes. On the platform, businesses have the choice of self-service, managed services, or a blended approach – ensuring complete flexibility and control over their B2B integration strategy.

About Cleo

Cleo is an ecosystem integration software company focused on business outcomes, ensuring each customer’s potential is realized by delivering solutions that make it easy to discover and create value through the movement and integration of B2B enterprise data. Cleo gives customers strategic, “outside-in” visibility into the critical end-to-end business flows happening across their ecosystems of partners and customers, marketplaces, and internal cloud and on-premise applications. Our solutions empower teams to drive business agility, accelerate onboarding, facilitate the modernization of key business processes, and capture new revenue streams by reimagining and remastering their digital ecosystem through robust application, B2B, and data integration technologies. For more information, visit www.cleo.com or call +1.815.282.7695.

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