Women are Under-represented in the Supply Chain

Traditionally, the supply chain industry is a male dominated arena, but slowly other sectors are showing signs of change. According to Industry Week post secondaries see strong female enrollments and the women in the sector indicate that work in the supply chain is strongly suited to female workers.The soft skills of women are suited in the supply chain. The collaboration, creativity and problem solving ability of women are highly useful in the industry. Women in the supply chain have expressed their love of their work as they multi-task and face daily challenges.The Canadian business sector is aiming to develop young female professionals to take part in the supply chain. According to Industry Week, it would be naïve to think that what is at stake is merely a “women’s issue”. As Gwyn Morgan states in a recent Globe and Mail article, “ Given the shortage of skilled workers, and the pending retirement of thousands more across the country, Canadian businesses and governments should view every person as a potential contributor to the workforce”. We think attracting and retaining women within the supply chain sector is a realistic, common sense solution to Canada’s human resources challenges. The WISC initiative seeks to create awareness of the supply chain sector and of its vast career opportunities for individual workers. WISC also seeks to encourage employers to consider their retention and succession strategies that address the specific needs of the women in their organizations.