Study: millennials show dedication to supply chain careers

Logistics education and training organization APICS said Sunday that its latest survey of the supply chain workforce shows millennials are more focused and committed to their careers than stereotypes suggest.

Millennials—defined as workers between the ages of 22 and 37—said they find their careers personally rewarding and are planning for a long-term future in the field, according to the report, "Millennials in Supply Chain."

The survey found that 88 percent believe that the sector offers opportunities for advancement, and 84 percent expected they would still be working in the supply chain field in five years.

Those figures buck some of the stereotypes about millennials that they are entitled, impatient, and unreliable, the organization said. APICS conducted the survey of 676 respondents during April 2017 in conjunction with Peerless Research Group, Supply Chain Management Review (SCMR), and the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC).

"The results of the report are eye-opening, especially when compared to the more senior supply chain professionals in leadership positions, who were part of a previous study from APICS and SCMR in 2016," APICS CEO Abe Eshkenazi said in a statement. "We see that more millennials started their career in supply chain, are moving around less, are highly satisfied with their jobs, and see more opportunities for advancement in the field."

Millennials in the survey said they were drawn to the supply chain field chiefly to advance their personal growth and development (87 percent), because of its diverse workforce (85 percent), and for a chance to work with the latest technologies (66 percent).

Coming in much lower for the reasons that millennials choose supply chain careers were options like corporate responsibility toward the environment (50 percent) and working for a prestigious company (39 percent).