American Shipper 2011

Supply Chain Manager Benchmark Study—Role, Compensation and Career

Written By: James Blaeser Publisher

Published August 2011

In partnership with:

Sponsored by:

The World’s Leading Source for the Supply Chain Profession.™

Executive Masters International Logistics & Supply Chain Strategy

Executive Summary

Welcome to American Shipper’s first study covering you, the supply chain practitioner. This confidential survey, co-produced with The Georgia Institute of Technology’s EMIL-SCS Executive Master’s Program, is designed to give you—and your management, if you choose to share the report—a gauge on roles, responsibilities, compensation and opportunities prevalent in the industry today. This report surveyed more than 400 qualified respondents in an attempt to create a higher level of visibility into the profession and hopefully a benchmark from which we can all improve as we move forward.

Career Path & Compensation

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ExECtutIvE SuMMaRy

It’s said that once you fall into a job in supply chain, you make a career out of it. Respondents to this survey support that notion. It is interesting to see the career path is very similar across segments of the supply chain. That the average age among carrier respondents is lower than other categories suggests many supply chain practitioners start their career with a carrier before moving on to a shipper or 3PL operation. Salaries across the board increased 2.36 percent in 2011, a slower pace than the broader market. Mercer’s 2010-2011 U.S. Compensation Planning Survey anticipated wages to increase 2.9 percent in 2011, compared to an actual gain of 2.7 percent in 2010. Study respondents from the 3PL segment earn noticeably more than their counterparts in the carrier and shipper segments. The 3PL manager will earn 7.5 percent to 13.6 percent more than their colleagues in the manufacturing and retailing sectors. At the most extreme, the average 3PL manager will earn roughly 22 percent more than the carrier...