Gartner: Will Entry-Level Jobs be Replaced by AI?

The role of AI in the supply chain has changed and grown dramatically over the last few years, with business leaders relying on it more every day to fill workforce gaps or boost effiiciency.

In Gartner's Future of Supply Chain 2026 report, it is revealed that many supply chain leaders anticipate it to reduce the need for entry-level jobs – redefining the workforce. 

With this comes questions of workforce headcounts and employee training.

Future of supply chains

Gartner's insights help clients make confident and informed decisions when aiming to unlock the full potential of AI. Clients rely on these insights to leverage AI across their business.

In Gartner's Future of Supply Chain 2026 report, it looks at insights from 509 global supply chain leaders across a range of industries, taken from July to October 2025. These insights explore how leaders are approaching the use of AI within their operations and how they believe the tool is shaping strategy.

With ongoing geopolitical turbulence and subsequent market volatility, supply chain strategy has changed dramatically over the years. Rather than focussing on efficiency, they are now prioritising resilience and agility. Instead of reacting to trends or big events, the strongest supply chains are now predicting them.

An ageing workforce, increasing skills gaps, higher demand and the rise of technology is changing how supply chains are made up. Now, businesses are implementing AI across the chain in order to help companies meet their targets and stay afloat. These tools are being used to automate repetitive tasks or to predict volatility and design strategy.

“The highest performing supply chain organisations are using AI to reinvent how work gets done and how talent is developed," explains Marco Sandrone, VP Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice.

"They are not treating AI as a blunt instrument for headcount reduction. The priority for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) should be redesigning roles, skills, and workforce processes, so people and machines can create value together.”

All supply chain, procurement and logistics leaders should attend:

• Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Procurement & Sustainability LIVE, these events bring together COOs, CSOs, and senior decision-makers at a moment when supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Strategy shifts

As AI redefines roles within the supply chain, 55% of supply chain leaders anticipate that agentic AI will reduce the need for entry-level positions. This means that, rather than hiring for entry-level roles, many organisations will instead be using AI to take on the tasks usually given to those entering the job sector.

As well as this, 51% of leaders believe AI will result in overall workforce reductions. Leaders cited “changes in ways of working driven by advancements in AI and agentic AI” as the most influential cause for redefining supply chain strategy across the next two years.

Though leaders are split on how agentic AI will impact workforce headcount, 86% of respondents do believe that agentic AI adoption will change how talent pipelines operate. There will be a requirement for new processes and a need to rethink how supply chains help nurture and utilise upcoming talent. 

If entry level jobs are being redirected to AI, companies will need to explore how they can welcome younger generations to the workforce, rather than shutting them out completely. Without the plan to build skills across their company, leaders risk finding themselves with an increasingly ageing workforce and an over-reliance on AI systems.

If developing talent do not have access to these entry-level roles, they have no way of entering the workforce and building the skills to access the higher roles.

Redefining roles

Gartner's survey identified respondents from high-performing organisations that excelled in customer lead time, satisfaction, time to market, revenue growth and sustainability goals over the last 12 months. It then explored the strategies these companies are using to drive success across their operations.

The leading respondents had a significantly higher adoption of agentic AI, across procurement, production, logistics, warehouse management and planning. These leaders were also more likely to understand that traditional talent pyramids are changing. Rather than headcount reduction, however, these leaders are prioritising talent strategy reinvention as the need for traditional entry-level roles reduces. 

The high-performing leaders are instead prioritising these talent strategies:

• Upskill talent to understand how to utilise AI and work alongside it
• Use AI-enabled tools to optimise workforce planning and engagement
• Improve efficiency by increasing the use of automation and advanced technologies, therefore reducing the reliance on manual labour

“Entry-level roles as understood today may fade in importance, but supply chains will still need emerging talent that is highly adaptive and innovative,” adds Marco.

“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.”

Rather than using AI to reduce the workforce, leading businesses are instead using it to redefine the workforce and how they are utilising their employees.