Why the Logistics Industry makes a rewarding career path

A career path in Logistics is relatively new but evidently offers an extremely rewarding journey for ambitious individuals wanting to make an impact. According to Forbes, 2016, the rise of technology since the 2008 economic crash has brought about a mass scale of disruption into the Logistics and Supply Chain industry, with a demand that has risen more than ever for digitally capable individuals within the sector.

In the US, Supply Chain jobs are on the rise at twice the rate of all other jobs, demonstrating the surge in business, consumer spending, globalisation and the overall need to supply goods and services worldwide. With the Global Logistics Industry estimated to reach a market value of £12.3 trillion within the next decade, the rewards for entering can be fascinating, fast-paced and often lucrative.

Here’s why:

1. Skill Shortages

According to the PwC Transportation & Logistics 2030 Volume 5: Winning the talent race report, there is a strong demand for differentiated development strategies and therefore the diverse, advanced skills needed to do this.

Companies are experiencing a high need for better educated workers and are working closer with local universities and Government to access a pool of higher educated employees. With transport-orientated companies becoming more focused on being logistics-orientated, the demand for a deeper level of customer service has surged thus, skilled employees are a must. This involves collating certifications, education and experience into each employee.

Although the economy is at a high in China, shortages of skilled professionals can be found in Hong Kong, China and neighbouring Asian countries. In China the Digital Supply Chain and Logistics Industry is booming with 284 universities offering coursing in Logistics Management and 58 universities providing classes within Logistics engineering.

2. Innovative and Collaborative Inputs

Talent is rewarded. With organisations having to constantly improve and adapt to the dynamic changes within technology and the impact this has on consumer behaviour, employers now have to consider how to attract talent within their organisations and think of the long term benefits this can offer to the organisation and the industry as a whole.

Talented individuals will often require an innovative environment where they are able to freely collaborate, communicate and trial things. For individuals wanting to bring about change, with ambitions for creation and invention, the Logistics and Supply Chain sector is now opening up to a more Agile approach to working and scoops more of an individual touch out of employees.

3. Scale of Progression

In comparison to other industries, the Supply Chain and Logistics industry offers an extremely vast and broad range of career paths without following the traditional linear advancement process from one role to another. When working within a Logistics or Operations Management role, the opportunities to gain experience across multiple areas and roles is huge.

The opportunities to branch off into specific areas or roles are extensive and compliment a range of expertise and interests. The 2014 report for APICS, states that 81% of young professionals working within the industry said it was certainly a great choice to join.

4. Pays Well

As with any career, financial rewards play an important factor in the motivation of employees. The Supply Chain and Logistics industry is known to reward efforts well with the median pay in 2018 being £59,200. The lowest paid job within Supply Chain Management is a warehouse manager or traffic director – these alone earn over £39,678 on average.

The overall average salary is £71,420 and can go well over £200,000 with training, experience and the right qualifications. With swift career advancement and a skill shortage in individuals able to manage upper-management positions, working your way up to a huge salary within the Logistics and Supply Chain industry may only be a few doors down! Movement from one position to another is faster than the majority of other industries and simply stepping into an entry-level job will be the start of a fruitful career and lifestyle.

5. Plenty of Diverse Options and Routes

“So where do I go from here”?

Here is a list of just some of the titles you could attain:

• Supply Chain Planner
• Strategic Sourcing Manager
• Buyer
• Commodities Manager
• Inventory Controller
• Logistics Manager or Administrator
• Transport Manager or Administrator
• Warehouse Manager or Administrator
• Logistics Director
• Engineer
• Quality Manager
• Purchasing Manager
• Production Warehouse Manager
• Production Operative, Supervisor or Manager
• Maintenance Operative, Supervisor or Manager
• Logistics Resource Planner
• Traffic Director
• Capacity Planner
• Contract Manager
• Demand Planner

If you think a career in Logistics and Supply Chain Management could be the next chapter in your life then follow this link to see which doors you can open.