Supply chain & logistics

Approximately 118,200 people are employed in the transport & storage sector in Ireland. Careers in the Supply Chain Industry comprise of purchasing, supply & materials management roles, manufacturing processes, inventory management, warehousing, distribution & transport. Customer service roles include order, customer & vendor management. 
Typically, supply chain professionals enter via one of two industry routes - operations or planning. Within the former, employees work in manufacturing or inventory, freight, warehousing & distribution while those in the latter specialise in supply chain strategy development, vehicle routing & load planning. Roles in manufacturing include procurement, materials management & production.

The Supply Chain & Logistics market can be segmented into 3 areas:

• Retail 
•Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology
• Logistics 

 

The Retail sector includes the transport, warehousing & distribution of ambient, chilled & frozen produce – companies operate 24 hour sites, requiring staff at all times, and consequently this is an area requiring ongoing recruitment. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) for the first quarter of 2019 predicts employment growth of +9% for (wholesale & retail).

Within the Logistics sector, skills & experience in demand include transport & distribution, inbound logistics, inventory management & order processing. Employees with pick & pack expertise, finance, management reporting, & reverse logistics are in demand. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey predicts employment growth of +8% for Transport & Storage.

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology is an area that continues to grow well in Ireland;with an employment outlook of +17% predicted for Q1 2019.