The supply chain industry will need to fill about 1.4 million new jobs between 2014 and 2018, according to a study by the logistics trade group MHI. That's roughly 270,000 jobs per year. But the talent shortage is one of the "major barriers preventing innovation in the supply chain," the study found.

The number of available positions is likely to inflate in coming years as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age and the need for workers with experience in engineering, analytics and robotics continues to rise.

Chuck Edwards, president of automation products manufacturer Lenze Americas, told Fortune magazine that part of the challenge in attracting new talent is explaining the cool factor of the 21st Century supply chain to college students. Lenze Americas sponsors student projects and looks for guest speaking opportunities on college campuses to “better explain where the real excitement and future growth is.”

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