Supply Chain Grads are in High Demand
The U.S. added another 175,000 jobs last month, but the jobless rate edged higher to 7.6 percent as more Americans looked for work. Wells Fargo economist Mark Vitner noted that 60% of the jobs created in May are in low-paying occupations, somewhat negating the favorable news. As the country’s unemployment rate remains well above the country’s long-term 5.8 percent average, there is a bright spot–supply chain.
Supply chain management is a great route to a high paying job, according to a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) story titled Supply Chain Management is the Hot New MBA. The article explains how more universities are ramping up their supply chain programs as employer demand grows.
Firms as varied as Target, General Dynamics, Johnson & Johnson, Forever 21, Deloitte and Michaels Stores are hungry to hire graduates of supply chain MBA programs. And their are willing to pay. At Arizona State, supply chain undergraduates from the class of 2012 earned average starting salaries of $56,410, compared with $50,098 for undergraduate business students overall. MBAs who took operations or supply chain jobs saw starting salaries of around $97,481, compared with $92,556 for all MBAs.
We’ve known for years that the supply chain is a vastly under estimated career choice. This blog has commented on the state of manufacturing and supply chain education and the state of the supply chain workforce. It’s good to see that business media like the WSJ is now covering this important story. Click here to view U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the best graduate schools for supply chain and logistics.
