Nearly half of supply chains have reduced headcount by an average of 10.5% over the past two years, primarily due to the impact of AI, according to Gartner.
Additionally, 66% of supply chain leaders report headcount reduction is concentrated at the entry level, more than double the percentage reporting reduction at other levels in the supply chain workforce.
Gartner surveyed 303 supply chain leaders across North America, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America from May 5 through June 11, 2026. Respondents had visibility into or influence over their organisation’s or function’s AI strategy, and all represented organisations that had integrated AI into their workflows to some degree.
“AI is thinning the entry-level supply chain workforce faster than most chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) are redesigning the talent pipeline, creating a future capability gap that will actually weaken their organisations’ AI performance,” said Tess Frenzel, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice.
“While impacts to entry-level positions from AI continue to grab the most attention, our research also shows a notable change in expectations for the skills required for middle-management positions, compared with just two years ago,” Frenzel continued.
“Producing fewer candidates for traditionally defined leadership roles is a miscalculation, as supply chains will require new competencies both for entry-level and leadership positions as a result of working alongside AI.”
Elevate Entry-Level Role Expectations
Reducing entry-level hiring without meaningfully changing role responsibilities and requirements can create a more fragile talent pipeline. Supply chain organisations have traditionally relied on large entry-level workforces to produce qualified candidates for more senior positions, even amid high attrition.A smaller incoming workforce leaves fewer employees available to advance, increasing the importance of selecting, developing and retaining high-potential entry-level talent as leadership roles continue to evolve.
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Additional analysis of the survey data found that high-performing supply chains, defined as the top 25% based on AI integration, AI-enabled automation, and business outcomes, are responding by elevating entry-level roles.
“Compared with two years ago, these organisations require more domain-specific and analytics skills and greater supply chain experience, while involving entry-level employees in less repetitive work and more consequential decisions,” said Frenzel.
“This approach can attract and engage higher-skilled talent while better preparing employees to advance into the senior positions which will also evolve as AI is embedded within the organisation.”
Gartner recommends the following actions for CSCOs to elevate entry-level roles for stronger talent pipelines and AI outcomes:
- Pair technically skilled entry-level employees with mid- and senior-level employees to develop stronger business acumen, support AI deployment and oversight, and build the experience emerging talent will need to manage future AI operations.
- Establish visibility into AI use, regularly test the assumptions and data underlying AI models, and assign clear accountability for outcomes.
- Adopt cross-pollinated supply chain team structures for stronger aligned KPIs and dispersed knowledge for higher-value AI deployments.
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