The supply chain skills gap has increased significantly and is negatively impacting on the competitiveness of the South African economy, say University of Johannesburg researchers Rose Luke and Gert Heyns in the 2012 Supply Chain Skills Gap Survey.

According to the survey, employers indicated that, although operational positions were relatively easy to fill, 65% of them indicated it was difficult to fill tactical-level positions, and strategic-level positions were becoming more challenging to fill, with 63% indicating difficulties in 2011 and 66% last year.

“The lack of skills is apparent in that, in terms of logistics performance, South Africa is currently ranked number 23 in the world and the country’s ability to perform more effectively is largely hampered by logistics competence,” says Luke, citing findings from the World Bank.

For this reason, it is important to identify the logistics skills requirements in South Africa, so that skills shortages can be dealt with to the benefit of trade in and with South Africa.

According to Barloworld Logistics’ ‘2013 Supply Chain Foresight’ report, the supply chain skills shortage is one of the top five constraints to South African supply chains and the single biggest constraint in competitiveness.
Luke and Heyns state that the high importance placed on business ethics may be a reaction to the heightened awareness of corruption and mismanagement that currently pervades society. The prominence of customer focus in the survey indicates that companies are realising just how important the fact-to-face aspect of the supply chain is.
“Companies recognise the role that seeing the big picture plays in driving greater productivity and effectiveness across the supply chain and businesses prioritise getting all their staff to see the interrelatedness of what they do. “Should someone drop the ball, it affects everyone’s work and, therefore, every employee is encouraged to perform even better – whether he/she is the boss or the driver,” says Luke.

There are significant skills shortages in the supply chain industry in South Africa and urgent interventions are required to attract and retain the skills needed to operate efficient, effective and competitive supply chains.

These severe skills shortages have a significant impact on the competitiveness of South Africa’s supply chains and the ability to develop commerce with the country’s major trading partners, concludes Luke.