International Women’s Day in logistics management

One of our most closely read magazine features is next month’s Annual Salary Survey, which examines the compensation and rewards given to the nation’s leading logistics managers.

Tisha Danehl, Vice President at Ajilon Professional Staffing in Chicago, says that demand for supply chain professionals in manufacturing and retail have gone through the roof. And women are finally breaking into the top echelons of what had been a male-dominated industry.

“Our agency has seen a 45 percent increase in demand for these jobs, and an 80 percent increase over the past two years,” she says. “It’s by far the fastest growing segment in our portfolio.”

According to Danehl, “Amazon put supply chain on the map.” Public awareness of supply chain’s crucial role in world commerce is giving college grads a new career path to consider.

“And it’s not just men anymore,” says Danehl. “Companies have been looking beyond gender for some time now,” she says. “With social networking, young people are sharing job leads and their enthusiasm for supply chain vocations.”

She also notes that employers demand skills—so called “soft skills”—such as collaboration, creativity, problem solving, and multitasking in the fast-paced supply chain work environment, which many strong females happen to possess. It’s shown time and again that these skills can improve employee engagement and make for smooth-running operations.