As disruptions rise, logistics sector turns to connected intelligence platforms to overcome the digital talent shortage, enabling smarter, more resilient supply chains amid escalating global challenges.
In the face of escalating disruptions such as tariffs, trade wars, and shifting global policies, transportation and logistics teams are under increasing pressure to build resilience and agility. However, a persistent digital talent gap continues to hamper many organisations’ ability to keep pace with necessary digital transformation efforts. Philipp Pfister, Sector Vice President at Transporeon, outlines how the concept of connected intelligence can be a game-changer for logistics, enabling companies to overcome these challenges through advanced data sharing, AI-driven insights, and integrated platforms.
According to recent surveys, including one reported by Pfister, approximately 90% of logistics leaders believe their organisations lack the digital talent needed to meet digitalisation goals, with little improvement since 2020. This stark reality is echoed in a 2024 UK logistics digital infrastructure report from Neos Networks, which found that 63% of UK logistics companies report a shortage of digital skills. Crucially, less than 40% of these companies believe their workforce is equipped with the skills necessary for future digital growth. This talent scarcity threatens to stall digital transformation across the sector unless significant investment in skills training and infrastructure occurs.
Pfister argues that merely having visibility into supply chains—such as awareness of inventory levels, supplier reliability, or risk factors—is no longer sufficient. Only a quarter of companies have formal board-level processes to review supply chain risks, reflecting a disconnect between operational realities and executive oversight. Connected intelligence, he contends, bridges this gap by enabling early disruption detection and real-time escalation of issues to decision-makers, thus fostering greater resilience and transparency.
At the core of this connected ecosystem is a platform approach that goes beyond data collection to integrate fragmented systems and standardise inputs, generating shared intelligence. This interoperability allows anonymised data from various stakeholders—carriers, shippers, forwarders, and retailers—to feed AI models that continuously enhance forecasting accuracy and adaptive execution. Research confirms the value of these capabilities, with companies leveraging AI and robust data seeing approximately 2.5 times higher revenue growth and 2.4 times greater productivity.
However, the logistics sector faces not only a digital skills shortage but also a specific gap in AI expertise. Bain & Company research highlights a 21% annual increase in demand for AI skills since 2019, with nearly half of executives citing insufficient in-house AI capabilities as a barrier to adopting generative AI solutions. Without targeted upskilling, forecast errors and operational inefficiencies could persist, slowing supply chain performance globally through at least 2027.
This talent shortage is compounded by growing competition across all industries for STEM-qualified professionals, including IT, data science, software development, and engineering—fields critical to supporting the rising automation and digitalisation of logistics operations. Industry figures such as Michelle Gardner from Logistics UK emphasise that while digitalisation can offset shortages in traditional logistics roles, it simultaneously drives demand for skilled tech workers, posing a recruitment challenge.
Connected intelligence also plays a pivotal role in meeting evolving regulatory demands around sustainability, such as those imposed by the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. With less than 10% of companies currently compliant and many falling behind, transparent data sharing and real-time visibility become essential not only for risk management but also for maintaining agility and compliance.
A collaborative approach to data sharing within a connected ecosystem builds trust across the supply chain, enabling partners to work from a unified real-time information base. This collaboration improves strategic planning and responsiveness, which are vital as supply chains become more complex and interdependent.
Ultimately, modern logistics software sits at the heart of this evolution, integrating AI, real-time data, and partner networks into a single platform. Such platforms help companies scale insights and operational capabilities without proportionally increasing headcount, partly offsetting the persistent digital talent gap. The promise of connected intelligence lies in transforming logistics into an adaptive, efficient, and resilient ecosystem capable of thriving amid uncertainty while delivering tangible business benefits.
In summary, overcoming the digital skills shortage is critical for logistics firms aiming to harness the full potential of connected intelligence. Investment in digital talent development and infrastructure, coupled with a strategic platform approach to data integration and AI deployment, will be essential for businesses seeking resilience, sustainability, and competitive advantage in an increasingly disrupted global landscape.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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