Job Cuts: Is There Light At The End Of The Tunnel?
COVID-19 creates new career opportunities for procurement and supply chain professionals, despite recent job losses and pay cuts.
COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the job market. The most recent U.S. analysis reveals that 21.5 million Americans remain unemployed. In the European Union, 397,000 people lost their jobs in April, according to the EU’s June report. Globally, Citi projects that 44 million people around the world, excluding China, could lose their jobs due to the pandemic.
The procurement and supply chain function is not immune. Our research, which was conducted between 4/28 – 5/12, found that 20% of supply chain and procurement departments experienced job cuts due to the crisis. Diving deeper into those numbers:
- Nearly half (48%) said the job cuts were limited to about 10% of the team
- 15% said their teams experienced cuts of 50% or more
Similarly, 23% of respondents said they were forced to take pay cuts. Of these:
- 38% saw pay cuts of about 15%
- 32% saw cuts of about 25%
- 10% saw cuts of about 33%
- 19% saw cuts of 40% or more
Millennials took the most pay cuts (32%), while Boomers took the least (18%).
While these numbers are alarming on the surface, they may not be as severe as they appear. A recent U.S. survey from the Census Bureau found that 47% of adults said they or a member of their household had lost employment income since mid-March. This may indicate, on a comparative and anecdotal level, that procurement and supply chain practitioners have somewhat been spared.
The harsh reality: Given the magnitude of job loss across the world, it was always a matter of how much, not if, procurement and supply chain functions would get hit. Across many industries, it simply did not matter how talented you are, or the results you produced. Many organizations saw revenues drop by nearly 100%, which naturally (and unfortunately) affects employment.
The good news comes in what’s next. Our research found that the majority of organizations are valuing procurement and supply chain like never before. More than ever, procurement and supply chain leaders play a critical role in organizational resiliency, recovery, cost controls and business continuity.
Go-forward job confidence reflects this thinking. On a scale of 1 – 5, weighted job confidence for the next 12 months is 3.96—meaning procurement and supply chain practitioners are more confident than not. Nearly half (43%) said they were extremely confident they would have a job 12 months from now, compared to only 5% that said they were not confident. We see this confidence mark as an incredibly positive sign considering the employment turmoil around the world.
Could this confidence – along with the newfound appreciation for procurement and supply chain – lead to more promotions? While it’s safe to assume most organizations will take a tepid approach to compensation and spending for the foreseeable future, we believe this crisis will create fresh career and financial opportunities for Generation Next. If anything, this crisis – and the strong performance of teams across the world – crystalizes the importance of investing in people, technology and the overall function, which should open up more (and new) doors.
Building on this dynamic, the majority (73%) of organizations we surveyed are planning seismic shifts in supply chain and procurement strategy post-pandemic, including supply base expansion, inventory management changes, and reductions in supply chain globalization. These changes represent fundamental shifts to traditional approaches, and will require substantial smarts, experience and an immensely committed and results-driven team for success. All of this points to higher demand for great people.
There’s no escaping the chaos caused by COVID-19, especially when it comes to jobs. But for procurement and supply chain leaders, the light at the end of the tunnel is bright.
Big changes ahead for supply chain and procurement strategy. What are they, and how do we get ahead? Find out now in our ‘How Now?’ report.
