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The United States is saddled with a high unemployment rate and many experienced people are seeking jobs right now. Even so, companies will confront a serious shortage of supply chain talent, warns the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Transportation and Logistics in a white paper titled "Are You Prepared for the Supply Chain Talent Crisis?"

The supply chain talent shortage will stem from a combination of layoffs and a changing skill set needed for the job. Companies that shed staff during the depth of the economic downturn may soon need to rehire practitioners, some of whom will have found work in other areas or at competing firms, analysts wrote.

The report notes that finding qualified individuals remains challenging, even though the supply of candidates has grown due to the increase in more specialized supply chain management programs at colleges and universities. One way to help address the talent shortage, the report's authors suggest, would be to raise the level of awareness of the profession in order to encourage more young people to enter the field.

Since its genesis in 1985, Foxfire has expanded to become a leading supplier of manufacturing, warehousing software, and supply chain execution systems. Foxfire's worldwide headquarters is located in Greenville, SC and has offices throughout the US. Foxfire also has a research and development center located near Clemson, South Carolina, leveraging the resources and talent pool of Clemson University's world-class institute of higher learning. Foxfire's customer base reaches across the United States, Canada, and Latin America, and we are currently expanding into other world markets rapidly through a network of distribution partners

As supply management professionals, we attend conferences on gaining a seat at the executive table. We read articles about how the procurement team can become a trusted business partner within the company. As supply management leaders, we train our teams on strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and cross-cultural management.

Reporting the right metrics, in the right way, has contributed to securing supply management's seat at the table. At Sodexo, we hold two spots on the executive team, and supply reports directly to the CEO. We have seats on the marketing council and CSR steering committee, as well as on numerous other task forces within the company.

When I was a very young journalist, full of bravado and barely concealed insecurity, Ed Kosner, editor of Newsweek, hired me to do a job I wasn't sure I was capable of doing. Thrown into deep water, I had no choice but to swim. But I also knew he wouldn't let me drown. His confidence buoyed me.

The more leaders make us feel valued, in spite of our imperfections, the less energy we will spend asserting, defending and restoring our value, and the more energy we have available to create value.

The comprehensive yearly study on the economic strength and overall health of Silicon Valley reveals that rapid economic growth in other countries, coupled with California’s legislative gridlock, is draining the lifeblood of funding and foreign talent from Silicon Valley, leaving recovery in a "new phase of uncertainty."