By 2030, 75% of supply chain organizations that paused hiring for entry-level roles in 2026 will pay premiums upward of 15% for early-career professionals, according to Gartner, Inc.
“Many organizations are attempting to manage uncertainty today by pausing entry-level hiring, but they will face talent shortages for themselves in the near future,” says Simon Bailey, VP analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice. “AI is not a ‘plug and play’ replacement for people. Organizations that stop hiring, and fail to develop early-career professionals, will soon face talent pipeline gaps, employee dissatisfaction, and elevated hiring pay premiums, especially for AI-native talent.”
Key takeaways:
· Advancements from AI and agentic AI are expected to be the most impactful drivers of future supply chain performance over the next three years.
· The survey also revealed that 55% of respondents expected a decline in entry level hiring as a result of agentic AI advancements.
· The most impactful results from AI will not be from headcount reduction, but rather the enablement of human-AI collaboration, which include utilizing AI to support, augment and automate decision-making.
· The organizations that continue to develop early career talent with both AI and business skills will also enable senior-level staff to focus on high-level strategic work, such as building the cultural readiness to scale AI initiatives throughout the organization.
