Gartner: Will AI Transform Entry-Level Supply Chain Jobs?

AI is fundamentally reshaping how organisations approach workforce planning, particularly at entry level.

According to Gartner's Future of Supply Chain 2026 report, business leaders are grappling with how AI adoption could redefine traditional employment structures whilst maintaining operational effectiveness.

The research, which surveyed 509 global supply chain leaders, explores how AI implementation is influencing strategic decisions around workforce composition and talent development.

With geopolitical uncertainty and market volatility continuing to challenge supply chains, organisations are increasingly turning to AI-powered solutions to build resilience and predictive capabilities.

An ageing workforce, widening skills gaps and rising demand are converging with technological advancement to transform supply chain operations. Businesses are deploying AI tools to automate repetitive tasks and forecast disruptions, fundamentally changing how work is distributed across human and machine capabilities.

According to Marco Sandrone, Vice President Analyst in Gartner's Supply Chain practice: "The highest performing supply chain organisations are using AI to reinvent how work gets done and how talent is developed. They are not treating AI as a blunt instrument for headcount reduction. The priority for Chief Supply Chain Officers should be redesigning roles, skills and workforce processes, so people and machines can create value together."

Agentic AI drives strategic shifts

As agentic AI capabilities advance, 55% of supply chain leaders anticipate this technology will reduce the need for entry-level positions. This suggests organisations could redirect tasks traditionally assigned to new workforce entrants to AI systems instead.

Additionally, 51% of leaders believe AI will result in overall workforce reductions. Leaders identified "changes in ways of working driven by advancements in AI and agentic AI" as the most influential factor redefining supply chain strategy over the next two years.

This signals a fundamental shift in how organisations conceptualise workforce structure and operational models. Despite divided opinions on workforce headcount impacts, 86% of respondents believe agentic AI adoption will change how talent pipelines operate.

The research demonstrates that organisations face an imperative to develop new processes that accommodate AI-driven transformation. This shift requires careful consideration of how technology and human talent can work in tandem to achieve strategic objectives.

Balancing AI adoption with workforce development

The reduction of entry-level roles presents a significant challenge for organisations attempting to welcome younger generations into the workforce. Without strategic planning for skills development, leaders risk cultivating an increasingly ageing workforce whilst becoming over-reliant on AI systems.

If developing talent cannot access entry-level roles, they lack pathways to build the competencies required for more senior positions. This creates a talent vacuum that undermines long-term organisational sustainability and threatens the continuity of institutional knowledge.

Gartner's research identified high-performing organisations that excelled across customer lead time, satisfaction, time to market, revenue growth and sustainability goals. These leaders demonstrated significantly higher adoption of agentic AI across procurement, production, logistics, warehouse management and planning functions.

The challenge for organisations is to maintain talent development pipelines whilst integrating AI capabilities. This balance requires thoughtful workforce planning that considers both immediate efficiency gains and long-term talent sustainability.

High performers prioritise talent reinvention

Rather than focusing on headcount reduction, leading organisations are prioritising talent strategy reinvention. High-performing leaders are implementing three core talent strategies that distinguish them from their competitors.

These strategies include upskilling talent to understand how to utilise AI and work alongside it, using AI-enabled tools to optimise workforce planning and engagement, and improving efficiency by increasing the use of automation and advanced technologies, therefore reducing the reliance on manual labour.

According to Marco Sandrone, Vice President Analyst in Gartner's Supply Chain practice, "Entry-level roles as understood today may fade in importance, but supply chains will still need emerging talent that is highly adaptive and innovative.

"As organisations identify new ways of working through the use of AI, they will also have an advantage in identifying and attracting the kinds of talent that will sustain these new working models, including successfully reskilling current staff to take on new, higher-value roles."

The distinction between high performers and others lies not in whether they adopt AI, but in how they integrate it. Leading organisations view AI as a catalyst for workforce transformation rather than simply a cost-reduction mechanism.

By redefining roles and investing in skills development, these businesses are positioning themselves to leverage both human creativity and machine efficiency in creating competitive advantage. This approach ensures that AI enhances rather than replaces human capability, creating a sustainable model for future growth.