Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Supply Chain Managers
Occupation · SOC 11-3071.04
Direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety. Examine existing procedures or opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, or processing of inventory.
Also called: Global Supply Chain Director · Material Requirements Planning Manager · Supply Chain Director · Supply Chain Manager · Solution Design and Analysis Manager · Auto Parts Manager (Automotive Parts Manager) · Demand Planning Manager · Global Supply Chain Manager · Inventory Control Supervisor · Inventory Manager · Inventory Supervisor · Logistics Supervisor
Job family: Management Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-11-3071-04/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+6.1% by 2034)
- 18,500 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $102,010/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- Both the 2013 computerization estimate and today's AI exposure rank this high
78th-percentile task overlap — yet about 18,500 openings a year (+6.1% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 70th | 0.9 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 91st | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 69th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.6 · 50th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Evaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory. | 0.3% | |
| Develop or implement procedures or systems to evaluate or select suppliers. | 0.3% | |
| Diagram supply chain models to help facilitate discussions with customers. | 0.2% | |
| Design or implement plant warehousing strategies for production materials or finished products. | 0.2% | |
| Identify opportunities to reuse or recycle materials to minimize consumption of new materials, minimize waste, or to convert wastes to by-products. | 0.2% | |
| Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +6.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 18,500 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 216,700 → 229,800 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Supply Chain Managers sits at the 74th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
39% mean task exposure (2025)
74th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−0 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Supply, Distribution and Related Managers · 1324 | 39% | Minimal |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials. Core · importance 4.2
- Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving. Core · importance 4.2
- Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution. Core · importance 4.1
- Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality. Core · importance 4.1
- Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance. Core · importance 4.1
- Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance. Core · importance 4.1
- Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service. Core · importance 4.1
- Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure availability of materials or products. Core · importance 4.1
- Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders. Core · importance 4.0
- Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success. Core · importance 4.0
- Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies. Core · importance 4.0
- Meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, to provide performance feedback, or to discuss production forecasts or changes. Core · importance 4.0
- Monitor suppliers' activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements. Core · importance 4.0
- Monitor forecasts and quotas to identify changes and predict effects on supply chain activities. Core · importance 3.7
- Participate in the coordination of engineering changes, product line extensions, or new product launches to ensure orderly and timely transitions in material or production flow. Core · importance 3.6
- Design or implement plant warehousing strategies for production materials or finished products. Core · importance 3.6
- Identify or qualify new suppliers in collaboration with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, or quality assurance. Core · importance 3.6
- Design, implement, or oversee product take back or reverse logistics programs to ensure products are recycled, reused, or responsibly disposed. Core · importance 3.6
- Develop or implement procedures or systems to evaluate or select suppliers. Core · importance 3.4
- Document physical supply chain processes, such as workflows, cycle times, position responsibilities, or system flows. Core · importance 3.4
- Forecast material costs or develop standard cost lists. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Diagram supply chain models to help facilitate discussions with customers. Core · importance 3.4
- Evaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory. Core · importance 3.3
- Identify opportunities to reuse or recycle materials to minimize consumption of new materials, minimize waste, or to convert wastes to by-products. Core · importance 3.3
- Design or implement supply chains that support environmental policies. Core · importance 3.3
- Review or update supply chain practices in accordance with new or changing environmental policies, standards, regulations, or laws. Core · importance 3.3
- Locate or select biodegradable, non-toxic, or other environmentally friendly raw materials for manufacturing processes. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Appraise vendor manufacturing capabilities through on-site observations or other measurements. Supplemental · importance 2.8
- Conduct or oversee the conduct of life cycle analyses to determine the environmental impacts of products, processes, or systems. Supplemental · importance 2.7
- Investigate or review the carbon footprints and environmental performance records of current or potential storage and distribution service providers. Supplemental · importance 2.5
Work activities
- Implement transportation changes to reduce environmental impact.
- Document organizational or operational procedures.
- Negotiate contracts for transportation, distribution, or logistics services.
- Coordinate with external parties to exchange information.
- Implement organizational process or policy changes.
- Develop procedures to evaluate organizational activities.
- Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
- Confer with organizational members to accomplish work activities.
- Develop organizational goals or objectives.
- Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.
- Analyze data to assess operational or project effectiveness.
- Manage operations, research, or logistics projects.
- Develop organizational methods or procedures.
- Evaluate environmental impact of operational or development activities.
- Develop sustainable organizational policies or practices.
- Evaluate quality of materials or products.
- Identify opportunities for green initiatives.
- Estimate labor requirements.
- Estimate cost or material requirements.
- Manage inventories of products or organizational resources.
- Monitor performance of organizational members or partners.
- Monitor external affairs or events affecting business operations.
- Evaluate potential of products, technologies, or resources.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 3.9 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Active Learning | 3.8 |
Transferable skills
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.9 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.9 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.8 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.6 | |
| Originality | 3.3 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 50.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 59.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services , Public Administration and Social Service Professions , Transportation and Materials Moving . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 66.7% | |
| Master's Degree | 19.1% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 9.5% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 4.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 7.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 6.0 | |
| Integrity | 5.0 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 4.0 | |
| Adaptability | 3.0 |
Interest areas
| Management/Administration | 6.3 | |
| Business Initiatives | 5.1 | |
| Accounting | 3.1 | |
| Office Work | 2.8 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 2.7 | |
| Public Speaking | 2.7 | |
| Finance | 2.6 | |
| Information Technology | 2.5 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Enterprising | 6.2 | |
| Conventional | 5.3 | |
| Realistic | 3.4 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $61,200 |
| 25th percentile | $78,360 |
| Median (50th) | $102,010 |
| 75th percentile | $136,050 |
| 90th percentile | $180,590 |
| People employed | 213,000 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 11-3071), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 68,620 | $99,610 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 36,200 | $95,340 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 27,300 | $114,180 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 15,270 | $148,130 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 10,810 | $75,030 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 8,950 | $129,000 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 6,120 | $97,160 |
| Construction · Sector | 4,790 | $80,630 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 4,740 | $63,550 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 3,490 | $93,770 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 3,300 | $98,910 |
| Information · Sector | 1,840 | $114,580 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 6.72× | 68,620 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 4.34× | 36,200 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 3.93× | 15,270 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 2.12× | 500 |
| Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers · National industry | 2.03× | 320 |
| Utilities · Sector | 1.69× | 1,350 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 1.55× | 27,300 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 1.45× | 4,740 |
Related occupations
Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.
- Logistics Analysts · 13-1081.02 Compare →
- Logisticians · 13-1081.00 Compare →
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers · 11-3071.00 Compare →
- Logistics Engineers · 13-1081.01 Compare →
- Purchasing Managers · 11-3061.00 Compare →
- Industrial Production Managers · 11-3051.00 Compare →
- Industrial Engineers · 17-2112.00 Compare →
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products · 13-1023.00 Compare →
- General and Operations Managers · 11-1021.00 Compare →
- Project Management Specialists · 13-1082.00 Compare →
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks · 43-5061.00 Compare →
- Manufacturing Engineers · 17-2112.03 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Supply Chain Managers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services · field of study
- Public Administration and Social Service Professions · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 74th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Supply Chain Managers show 78th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 18,500 annual U.S. openings
- Supply Chain Managers rank in the 78th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 18,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+6.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $102,010, across about 213,000 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Supply Chain Managers show 78th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 18,500 annual U.S. openings • Supply Chain Managers rank in the 78th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 18,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+6.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $102,010, across about 213,000 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Supply Chain Managers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-11-3071-04 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Supply Chain Managers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-11-3071-04
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Supply Chain Managers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-11-3071-04
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-11-3071-04,
title = {Supply Chain Managers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-11-3071-04}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.