All the uncertainty surrounding global trade and the economy doesn't appear to have put a dent in the market for supply-chain talent.

Manufacturing is expected to yield approximately 700,000 new jobs in 2015, according to a report from APICS Supply Chain Council, which urges the industry to recruit women for those positions.

CEOs know there's a widening talent gap in the supply-chain sector. They also know they're not doing enough to close it.

When she entered college 20 years ago, Cheryl Dalsin didn't have a clue as to what supply-chain management was all about. It's likely that she had never heard the term. Now, she's determined to make sure that today's students aren't similarly ignorant about a promising career opportunity.

Dana Stiffler, managing vice president with Gartner, explains why supply-chain talent sits at the top of executives' list of things that keep them up at night.

Supply-chain professionals have been sounding the warning bell about the coming talent shortfall for several years now. But who's listening? At a time when the economy at large is coping with high unemployment and sluggish job growth, the notion of a sector that can't attract enough qualified bodies is tough to grasp. Still, that's the reality in the supply-chain world today, and it's only going to get worse.