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Everybody has heard by now that health care companies are promising hunting grounds for job seekers, and the New Year will see hiring perk up elsewhere, too.
众所周知，医疗保健行业明年将涌现大量招聘需求。然而热门就业领域并不仅限于此。
But when you think of fields where there just aren't enough skilled candidates to go around, one that probably doesn't come to mind is supply chain management: The complicated, behind-the-scenes work of getting goods from one place to another, on time and on budget.
到底有哪些行业急需专业人才？说起这个问题，你可能怎么也不会想到“供应链管理”：这是一项复杂的幕后工作，负责将货物从甲地运到乙地，不仅要准时，还不能超支。
A shortage of qualified supply chain managers right now, especially in global companies that must coordinate far-flung operations, can be traced to two factors.
眼下，合格的供应链经理极度缺乏，在那些分支机构遍布全球的跨国公司中尤其如此。究其原因，不外以下两点。
First, says Tom Kozenski, a supply-chain expert at consulting and training firm RedPrairie, most people still think of logistics -- if they think of it at all -- as a "non-sexy" field centered on boring, low-paid warehouse work.
首先，正如咨询与培训机构RedPrairie公司的供应链专家汤姆•科赞斯基所言，一提到物流行业，多数人都觉得它“没有吸引力”，是一项乏味且薪水不高的仓储工作。
And second, while perceptions haven't changed much, the reality has: Making sure stuff gets where it needs to go, as cheaply and efficiently as possible, has evolved into a high-tech, high-stakes game that calls for a scarce combination of "hard" and "soft" skills.
其次，尽管人们还守着老的观念，现实却已经发生了变化：供应链管理——也就是确保货物以尽可能低的价格和尽可能高的效率到达目的地——已经成为一项高科技、高风险的行业了。它要求从业者“硬件能力”和“软件能力”缺一不可，而能达到这种要求的人才实在很少。
A new MIT white paper, ominously entitled "Are You Prepared for the Supply Chain Talent Crisis?," bears that out. Supply chain managers need sophisticated tech skills, sure, but they also have to be adept at "high-order diplomacy," expert at general business strategy and problem solving, and able to "thrive in ambiguity," the study says.
麻省理工学院（MIT）最近发表了一份白皮书。虽然该报告的题目听起来不免有些不吉利——《你是否已为供应链人才危机做好准备？》（Are You Prepared for the Supply Chain Talent Crisis?），却一语中的。这项研究表明，供应链经理需要掌握先进的技术技能，同时还得具备“高度的外交手腕”，精通总体业务战略，能娴熟地解决各类问题，要能在混沌状态中求生存。
It's a tall order, but if you want to go after one of the thousands of supply-chain jobs that are going begging, a solid start would be logistics training, available at many colleges and universities. Some programs, like Penn State's graduate certificate in supply chain management, are offered online.
这样的要求不可谓不苛刻。现在，有上千个供应链岗位正虚位以待。如果你希望谋求此类职位，可行之策是先接受物流培训。目前有许多学院和大学都提供此类培训，其中有些是在线课程，如美国宾州州立大学（Penn State）就提供在线供应链管理研究生培训，并颁发证书。
The shortage of supply-chain talent explains why 48% of U.S. companies plan to snap up logistics grads in 2011, according to a new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
美国大学与雇主协会（National Association of Colleges and Employers）进行的一项新研究表明，48%的美国公司计划于2011年招募物流专业研究生。供应链管理人才稀缺的现象，恰恰印证了这一调研结果。
