Market Sentiment

With nearly two thirds of respondents (64%) saying they would feel confident looking for a new role in the current market, overall sentiment is broadly positive, although this is shaped more by individual skills and experience than market conditions. Economic uncertainty and role availability are also creating hesitation for some. Tariffs and trade restrictions are anticipated to impact skill requirements rather than reduce jobs, which suggests professionals are approaching the current landscape with pragmatism rather than fear. For employers, the focus should be on how roles are evolving. Investing in upskilling, especially in adaptability and change management, will be more effective than replacing talent. For professionals, in a market that is changing in structure rather than shrinking, the priority is aligning skills with where demand is moving.

QUESTION 1

If you had to look for a new role in the next 12 months, how confident would you feel based on the current job market?

Very confident

Somewhat confident

Somewhat unconfident

Not at all confident

Among respondents who selected ‘very confident’, 70% said their primary reason for selecting this was due to demand for their skills and experience.
For those who selected ‘somewhat confident’, the reasons were more varied - while 34% said ‘demand for my skills and experience’, 25% said ‘my track record of delivering results’, and 18% cited ‘the current economic climate’.
For the 40% who said they were ‘somewhat unconfident’ or ‘not at all confident’, their reasons were identical - almost all said this was either due to the current economic climate (60%) or the availability of roles in their market (24%).
Respondents working in planning roles were least likely to be confident looking for a new role in the current market (62% said they were very or somewhat confident), while logistics professionals were most likely to be confident (74% logistics were very or somewhat confident).

QUESTION 2

What do you expect will be the biggest impact of tariffs and trade restrictions on supply chain and manufacturing roles in the next 12 months?

Increasing job opportunities

Decreasing job opportunities

Changing skills and qualifications needed

Creating new types of roles

No material impact

For those who said they expect that tariffs and trade restrictions will result in new types of roles being created, responses pointed to risk and crisis management, legal expertise in geopolitical issues, trade compliance, and AI specialists - including building and automating systems, and quality checking data.
Engineering professionals were more likely to believe there will be either decreasing job opportunities (40%) or increasing job opportunities (23%) because of tariffs and trade restrictions than those working in other sectors, where ‘changing skills and qualifications needed’ was the most commonly selected option.

“Since COVID, supply chain has been thrown into the spotlight and people are familiar with it in a way they weren’t before. Confidence levels are high across the board, and that reflects the rising profile of the function. More people are approaching supply chain professionals about job opportunities, they’re getting more respect internally, and more CEOs are coming from supply chain backgrounds.”

Matthew Wood, Managing Director - DSJ Global Europe

QUESTION 3

Which skill do you feel will be most important for your role over the next 3 years as supply chains automate and transform?

Interpersonal skills

AI literacy

Hands-on troubleshooting

Technical skills

Legal/compliance knowledge

Other

Planning professionals were most likely to select AI literacy (24%), commercial solutions professionals were most likely to select interpersonal skills (47%), and engineers were most likely to select hands-on troubleshooting (30%) or technical skills (21%).

AI’s Impact on Supply Chain Hiring & Careers

Despite the headlines, most supply chain professionals are not particularly worried about AI replacing their roles. The value of experienced talent in this function lies in judgment, relationships, and navigating ambiguity: capabilities that automation supports rather than supplants. Where employers need to tread carefully is in hiring. Resistance to AI-led recruitment is strong and consistent - lean too heavily on automated tools at the candidate-facing stage, and you risk losing strong candidates before the conversation has even started. The human element of hiring is where trust is built.

QUESTION 4

How concerned are you that AI or automation could reduce the need for your role in the next 3 years?

Very concerned

The more senior a respondent was, the less likely they were to be concerned by AI replacing their role: 42% of director-level respondents said they were ‘not at all concerned’, compared to 31% of managers and 21% of individual contributors.
Procurement professionals were most likely to be concerned about AI’s impact on their role, (36% said they were very or somewhat concerned), while logistics professionals were least likely to (22% said they are very or somewhat concerned).

Somewhat concerned

Slightly concerned

Not at all concerned

Employers: Should you use AI tools in your hiring process?

See the data

“The things supply chain professionals value most about their roles are all about person-to-person connection and relationship building. Trying to use AI interviewers sends entirely the wrong signal. If you’re struggling with volume, work with a specialist talent parnter who uses AI for the parts of the process that aren’t people-facing - not in place of genuine human assessment.”