For the last couple of years, the biggest conversation when it comes to hiring is all about AI: hiring for AI-readiness, which roles might or might not be subsumed by AI, how AI’s existence is requiring new roles to manage it, and so on. This is especially true in the supply chain and logistics world, where AI and related technology are reshaping every step of the process – and where organizations increasingly need talent at every level who are prepared to handle those transitions.
On the surface, it’s an exciting time. Underneath all that tech conversation, though, lies a bigger issue: the U.S. is on the verge of its biggest labor shortage in memory.
A Difficult Numbers Game
It’s not an issue isolated to one industry. Georgetown University predicts a shortage of 5.25 million workers (with postsecondary education) by 2032; Lightcast is more pessimistic, with a project of closer to 6 million. The assumption might be that AI could take on some (or even many) of these roles, but the data doesn’t quite bear that out. Georgetown’s data points to the biggest shortages being in areas that require hands-on work and personal interaction: business, financial, education, healthcare, transportation, and – most of all – management.
The supply chain and logistics world is no exception. One 2025 survey found that 25% of U.S. firms believe workforce shortages are the greatest issue in the industry. The American Trucking Association has repeatedly noted a shortage of truck drivers – or, to be more accurate, a shortage of skilled, high-quality, and safe truck drivers. AI can streamline and integrate supply chains; it can plan smarter routes. But it can’t build relationships or drive the trucks, and that’s where today’s supply chain leaders need to get thinking.
Focusing on the Wrong Roles and Skills
In addition to the simple entry/exit math, the shortage is also something of a mismatch: too many people in the wrong roles. A recent Washington Post analysis, for instance, quoted one expert as noting that society has largely pushed young people into business and finance majors, only for the field to be oversaturated; meanwhile, other high-demand fields, like healthcare, aren’t graduating enough new talent to fill existing gaps.
For the supply chain world, AI and this shortage combined run the risk of creating something of a paradox, especially in the years to come. Without enough interest, it’s easy for organizations to turn to AI to automate entry-level tasks. In turn, that kicks the can down the road, further narrowing the pathway for talent to enter the industry and creating a pipeline squeeze as older generations begin exiting the workforce.
Even within occupations, the rapid pace of skills development and demand is leaving people behind and leaving organizations short-handed. One SHRM report found that nearly a third of job openings couldn’t be filled by people who recently worked in similar roles, and over a quarter of job seekers couldn’t match to an opening similar to their most recent jobs.
In other words? The traditional approach to talent search just isn’t working anymore. So what is?
A Modified Approach to Hiring
Given that these shortages are a problem of skills gaps as much as they are a pure numbers issue, the fix isn’t just casting a wider net; it’s casting a smarter one. Companies competing for supply chain and logistics leadership need to look past the traditional playbook of hiring from the same handful of feeder roles and industries. The candidates who can actually solve tomorrow’s problems may be sitting in adjacent, more specialized fields: military logistics, manufacturing operations, even healthcare supply chain, where the skills of managing complexity, driving efficiency, and leading distributed teams can transfer directly.
This is also a moment to consider leadership potential and soft skills. AI can optimize a route; it can’t coach a fleet manager through a driver shortage or rebuild trust with a strained carrier network. The leaders who will matter most over the next decade are the ones who can retain and develop frontline talent, not just deploy new technology. Savvy hiring teams are prioritizing those deeply human qualities and hiring with growth in mind, not just picking the most impressive resume.
For organizations serious about closing this gap, that means partnering with a search process built to identify transferable experience and leadership capability. And that’s precisely where GESG’s transportation and supply chain search practice is built to help.
Scott is one of the founders of GESG and achieved great success as an executive recruiter. He is currently responsible for all internal operations and for relationships with all Partners and Suppliers. His first-hand recruiting experience gives him a customer-focused perspective, enabling him to maintain a razor-sharp focus on our technology and system priorities. Scott works closely with other firms in our network as well as suppliers to ensure that everyone in our firm has the current technology and market research resources necessary to meet the needs and requirements of our clients, top talent, and associates.