As the procurement and supply profession races to adapt to global economic and political instability coupled with rapid technological change, employers have a clear top priority as they hunt for new hires: a diverse range of skills.
And according to the findings of the 2025 CIPS Procurement & Supply Salary Guide, in partnership with Hays, the skilled talent hiring managers are looking for is in short supply around the world.
More than half (59%) of respondents responsible for hiring procurement and supply professionals told the survey that they had struggled to find the right talent in the past 12 months. And while there are several other obstacles that can make hiring difficult, including candidates’ salary expectations and organisational fit, the top two are a lack of sector skills and experience (53%) and a lack of technical skills or formal procurement training (51%).
This is a major challenge for the profession – but it’s also an opportunity for ambitious professionals to progress in their current organisations and compete in the job market by upskilling themselves to meet employers’ needs.
Soft skills and communication
While many might worry that artificial intelligence is encroaching on some jobs’ core functions, it is clear from the 2025 CIPS Procurement & Supply Salary Guide data that procurement and supply professionals around the world place particular value on “soft” skills – the ones that are hardest to automate.
This holds true up and down the career ladder, with relationship management skills the most sought-after in “delivering” jobs and influencing skills coming out in front at the highest level.
So what does this mean for procurement and supply professionals themselves?
Firstly, it is clear from the survey data that at all career levels, professionals who want to advance their careers should acquire new skills and develop their existing skills and competencies.
As the numbers above show, this is about breadth – but with communication and interpersonal skills at the centre.
One powerful way for a professional to show they are serious about the soft and sector-specific skills they need is to achieve MCIPS. According to the survey data, more than half (52%) of employers around the world prefer candidates who have MCIPS or are studying towards it – and achieving MCIPS comes with a significant earnings boost.
Meanwhile, the survey found that where respondents are not planning to move jobs in the near future, their top reason for staying is that they feel they need more training and development in order to progress. And among those who are planning to move employer, 67% cited an organisation’s commitment to staff training and development as something they will be looking for as they pursue new roles.
So while the talent shortage in the procurement and supply job market may be real, there is a golden opportunity for professionals and hiring organisations to meet each other halfway – and it’s by developing new skills that they can close the gap.