2025 has been a defining year for procurement and supply chain teams across the UK and USA. Rising complexity, tighter ESG expectations, and relentless global volatility forced organisations to rethink how they operate and, crucially, who they hire. Our End of Year Report reveals a function that’s becoming more strategic, more digital, and more central to organisational resilience than ever.
Whether you’re a procurement leader shaping next year’s roadmap or a supply-chain professional navigating ongoing change, the insights from 2025 paint a clear picture of where things are heading in 2026.
Digital transformation stepped up and expectations did too
Across both the UK and U.S., digitisation was no longer a “future investment”, it became a necessary capability.
Procurement teams leaned hard into analytics, AI forecasting tools, supplier-risk platforms and automated workflows to build stronger, more resilient operations. In the UK, 32% of businesses rolled out AI or automation, though many still felt behind on adoption and data visibility.
In the U.S., 38% of organisations reported integrating AI or advanced analytics, with another 41% planning adoption within 12 months. These teams saw measurable improvements in forecasting accuracy, supplier onboarding speed, and decision-making quality.
But implementation wasn’t seamless. Data quality gaps, supplier readiness, and inconsistent system adoption continue to slow progress. The next 12 months will separate early adopters from those still catching up.
Risk & resilience became core priorities
If 2024 was about reacting to disruption, 2025 was the year organisations got proactive.
Risk management moved centre-stage across both markets, influencing how teams hire, source, plan, and engage suppliers.
UK trends included:
- expanding procurement’s remit into sustainability, ethics and compliance
- deeper supplier risk assessments
- growing demand for ESG-literate procurement specialists
In the U.S.:
- roles in global sourcing risk, continuity planning, and contingency strategy increased
- 47% of procurement leaders cited disruption or geopolitical risk as a top influence on sourcing decisions
- nearly 60% integrated ESG criteria into supplier selection processes
Risk capability is fast becoming a non-negotiable skill set for mid- to senior-level professionals.
Hiring in Procurement & Supply Chain stayed strong
Despite tough economic conditions, recruitment demand remained consistently high, especially for roles that blend commercial thinking, analytics fluency and cross-functional influence.
UK hiring patterns:
- strong demand for mid- to senior-level professionals
- high priority on data-savvy procurement talent skilled in forecasting, analytics dashboards and digital tools
- rising appetite for contract and interim hires to support transformation, audits, and onboarding waves
- more specialists required in sustainability, compliance and supplier-risk management
USA hiring patterns:
- sharp increase in strategic sourcing roles (Category Leads, SRMs, Sourcing Managers)
- greater demand for tech-fluent procurement professionals
- reliance on interim talent for supplier diversification and transformation projects
- risk management roles rising more quickly than any other specialism
For both markets, organisations sought people who could move beyond cost-control, towards long-term value, resilience and innovation.
Supply Chain teams faced disruption, but also modernisation
In the UK, 65% of organisations increased digital investment, and although 47% experienced disruption in the last 12 months, supply chains overall became more resilient. But digital maturity still varies widely, with 19% of professionals admitting they don’t use supply-chain data at all.
In the U.S., logistics costs reached $2.6 trillion, accounting for nearly 9% of GDP, a reminder of how critical supply chain performance is to wider economic stability. Investment in supply-chain technology continued to rise, with the U.S. SCM software market reaching $11.3 billion. Talent shortages, especially in planning and logistics, pushed companies toward automation and stronger data capabilities
Looking ahead: What 2026 will demand
Across procurement and supply chain functions, several themes will dominate the year ahead:
- Digital confidence will be a baseline requirement.
Professionals must be able to interpret data, leverage digital tools, and support system adoption, not just “use” technology.
- ESG will become more embedded in procurement decision-making.
Carbon reporting, sustainable sourcing, supplier audits and compliance will further shape hiring demand.
- Value creation will surpass cost-saving as the priority.
Businesses want leaders who can influence strategy, collaborate cross-functionally, and redesign supplier ecosystems for long-term advantage.
- Talent competition will intensify.
Early workforce planning is already underway as companies seek to secure the best mid- to senior-level professionals before demand peaks in Q1.
Download the full 2025 Procurement & Supply Chain report
This blog just scratches the surface. The full report dives deeper into:
- UK vs USA market trends
- role-specific hiring patterns
- digital adoption insights
- emerging ESG and compliance expectations
- what the most competitive organisations are doing differently
- how to build stronger talent pipelines for 2026
Download the full End of Year Report here to access the complete analysis and prepare your procurement or supply-chain strategy for the year ahead.
