Demand for supply chain roles requiring AI skills has increased 387% from 1Q23 to 1Q26, significantly outpacing overall labour market growth and intensifying competition for qualified talent, according to Gartner, Inc..
“The demand for AI skills in supply chain is accelerating at a rate that far exceeds the broader labour market, creating a widening talent gap that organizations cannot close through hiring alone,” said Tess Frenzel (pictured, below), Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice.
Gartner analyzed more than 35 million job postings between the 1Q23 and 1Q26, including almost 600,000 roles in supply chain. Analysts found that demand for supply chains jobs requiring AI skills are growing faster than the growth rate for all job postings requiring AI skills across industries.
High demand for AI skills in supply chain is increasing competition for a limited pool of qualified candidates, contributing to higher costs, and longer hiring timelines for roles that require both supply chain expertise and AI proficiency.
AI Skill Demand Requires Multiple Talent Strategies
The analysis also shows that demand for AI skills is currently concentrated at the mid-senior level, which accounts for 58% of roles requiring these capabilities. Director-level roles are similarly overrepresented, reflecting the need for experienced professionals who can apply AI effectively within complex supply chain environments. This concentration highlights the importance of combining domain expertise with AI capabilities to drive successful adoption and governance.
At the same time, organizations are striving to keep pace with transformation. Previous research highlighted the need for CSCOs to shift to an autonomous-ready workforce with an increasing number of versatile, evolving roles that guide and improve AI systems.
To address these dynamics, Gartner advises CSCOs to prioritize internal upskilling and expand the use of entry-level talent to build a sustainable pipeline of AI capabilities. Although entry-level roles represent a significant portion of overall hiring, they account for a much smaller share of roles requiring AI skills, indicating an underused workforce segment with growing AI familiarity.
“CSCOs should take a balanced approach by accelerating internal upskilling and more effectively leveraging entry-level talent to build a sustainable pipeline of AI capabilities,” said Frenzel.
“Organizations that invest in both experienced professionals and emerging talent will be better positioned to scale AI adoption and prepare their workforce for the future of supply chain.”
