Some problems are best solved backward. No, we’re not talking about those math riddles you had to solve in middle school. We’re talking about supply, demand, and the supply chain pipeline.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that hiring in logistics, including anyone who would analyze or organize a supply chain, will grow by 19% in the 10 years between 2023 and 2033, which the agency notes is “much faster than average.” (The average growth rate is 4%.) The problem: Where, or how, are organizations going to find the next wave of eager, skilled supply chain professionals?

One school, Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia, just a stone’s throw from the largest Navy base in the world and the Port of Virginia, has seemingly cracked the code.

The story of how that happened, and the key ingredients in the successful recipe—local connections, industry receptiveness, and growing supply chain awareness—should make a CFO’s ears perk up. Finance teams may also want to hire these grads, and getting programs up and running with as much speed and flexibility as ODU did will be a key part of the puzzle.

Click here for more on developing supply chain talent.—NP

The future of the SEC’s climate disclosure rule is tenuous at best, but that doesn’t really matter. Sustainability reporting is here and companies should be ready, according to experts who recently spoke at Workiva’s 2024 Amplify conference in Denver.

The new rule is on pause while an appeals court considers petitions against it. Opponents argue the agency “lacked the authority to implement the rule,” CFO Brew previously reported.

And the truth is, the SEC rule is a moot point for multinational companies that do business in Europe, since they’re subject to other jurisdictions’ ESG reporting requirements.

It’s a big world. David Peavler, a partner at Jones Day, told us he doubts the SEC climate rule will remain in place because of recent Supreme Court rulings that weakened the power of regulators. With little expected recourse in the courts, “the SEC may be content” to let others lead the way in climate reporting, he said.

Peavler noted that “compliance flows uphill,” meaning that when organizations are subject to multiple regulations on sustainability reporting, they’ll default to whichever standard is most stringent. The European Union, with its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), has a stronger rule than its American counterpart—in part because, unlike the revised SEC rule, it requires companies to report on Scope 3 emissions.

For more on future ESG reporting, click here.—AZ

The labor market and the end of summer certainly have one thing in common: Things are getting chilly.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics posted its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data for August on Tuesday. The data was more proof that the labor market is continuing to cool down, as hirings and total separations fell again in August.

Read more takeaways from the report below.

Diving into the data. The “Big Stay” continues to impact the job market, as employers further backed off on hiring and workers stayed put at their jobs. Total hires in August fell to 5.3 million from a downwardly revised 5.4 million the prior month. And quits fell to 3.1 million from 3.2 million in July, while layoffs and firings dropped to 1.6 million in August, down 100,000 from 1.7 million in July.

“It’s very hard to find a job, and jobseekers know it,” Guy Berger, director of economic research at the Burning Glass Institute, wrote on Substack.

These month over month decreases may seem small, but year over year changes show a more significant cooldown. Employers posted a half million fewer hires (5.3 million) than the 5.88 million in August 2023, while total separations—which include quits, layoffs, and firings—fell by more than 600,000 (4.9 million) from 5.6 million in August 2023.

Click here to continue reading HR Brew’s story on the labor market.—PM