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Tag: supply chain

  • Are UK Procurement & Supply Chain Roles Being Replaced Overseas? 

    Are UK Procurement & Supply Chain Roles Being Replaced Overseas? 

    One of the questions our team is asked time and again is this: when someone leaves a UK business, is their role being replaced here, or is it relocated overseas?

    Cost pressure, the move towards remote-first hiring and digital transformation are changing where businesses base roles. So, like most things in life, the answer is nuanced rather than straightforward. Some roles are being offshored. Some are being reshaped. And some are becoming more UK-centric than ever.

    Here’s what the 2025 data actually tells us.

    The Broader UK Hiring Landscape in 2025

    Offshoring is by no means a new trend, but it has accelerated in certain functions over the past few years. Reports in 2025 showed that UK businesses are increasingly moving administrative, finance, and back-office functions overseas, citing cost pressures and margin compression as key drivers. Additional reporting highlights show a rising demand for remote offshore hiring solutions among UK firms, particularly in markets like South Africa.

    Cost, as always, remains a key reason, with rising employment costs and tax pressures influencing hiring strategies across a variety of sectors. More strikingly, survey data from late 2025 suggests that 57% of UK employers expect new hires to be based overseas by 2026, indicating a shift towards distributed workforces. However, this is not without friction or challenges. Over 75% of employers report compliance and regulatory challenges when hiring internationally, with each issue costing on average, around £26,000. So yes, the signs and stats show that global hiring is rising, but it comes with context and operational complexity.

    Is the UK Becoming Less Attractive to Overseas Talent?

    Interestingly, while UK firms are hiring abroad more frequently, inbound interest in UK roles has decreased somewhat. Data from early 2025 shows foreign job search activity for UK roles dropped to 3.8% of total searches, down from 5.7% the previous year.

    These data point to two simultaneous trends:

    • UK employers are looking outward for talent
    • Overseas candidates are showing less interest in relocating to the UK

    It would also suggest that these dynamics increase the likelihood of roles being structured as remote-first rather than UK-based.

    What This Means for Procurement and Supply Chain Talent

    Procurement and supply chain functions are an altogether separate category from generic back-office operations. While some transactional elements can be centralised or offshored, the strategic core of procurement remains closely tied to UK regulatory frameworks, domestic supplier ecosystems, risk governance and ESG accountability, and board-level cost and resilience strategy.

    Here’s how that’s playing out in practice.

    1. Transactional Procurement Is More Likely to Move

    Roles focused on purchase order processing, vendor onboarding administration, data cleansing and invoice matching can be done pretty much anywhere. These activities can often be delivered effectively through shared service centres or global procurement hubs.

    Obviously, this is not a new development but a continuation of established efficiency models supported by improved automation and digital systems. These operational tasks are the most vulnerable to offshoring or further automation.

    2. Strategic Procurement Roles Remain UK-Centric

    By contrast, roles centred on category strategy, complex negotiations, risk management, supply resilience planning, ESG and Scope 3 oversight, and regulatory compliance are significantly harder to relocate.

    These positions require proximity to senior stakeholders, a deep understanding of UK-specific regulation and strong knowledge of domestic supplier markets. Since recent global supply shocks, procurement leaders are more closely embedded in organisational risk strategy. The greater the commercial impact and board-level visibility, the less likely the role is to be moved overseas. In short, the good news is that strategic and transformation-focused roles remain anchored in the UK.

    3. AI Is Reshaping the Way We Work. It’s Not Replacing Our People

    We’ve written a great deal in this blog about how AI is accelerating change across procurement and supply chain. However, it’s reshaping roles rather than replacing them outright. Human intervention, creativity and collaboration are still absolutely key to success.

    Automation can support spend analysis, contract review and forecast modelling. It cannot replace those strong long-term supplier relationships, crisis negotiation capability, ethical judgement, or board-level influence.

    As routine tasks become more automated, the emphasis shifts towards recruiting and retaining talent with higher-value commercial capability. That strengthens demand for experienced, strategically minded UK-based procurement and supply chain professionals rather than diminishing it.

    Discover: What businesses really want from senior procurement hires. 

    4. The Talent Shortage Factor

    Even as some functions globalise, the UK continues to face specialist skills shortages in advanced supply chain planning, sustainable procurement, digital transformation and AI-enabled analytics. Global hiring can help to address these gaps, but many organisations still prioritise local expertise for senior, transformation-critical roles. The commercial risk of misalignment at that level is simply too high.

    This is where specialist procurement and supply chain recruitment partners like Bramwith add real value. Understanding which roles are genuinely mobile and which require local strategic alignment is essential in a market that’s evolving at pace. 

    Find out more about how to address the talent gaps in procurement and supply chain.

    So, Are UK Roles Being Replaced Overseas?

    The honest answer is:

    Yes, for some operational and support roles. No, for many strategic procurement and supply chain positions. And, increasingly, roles are being redesigned rather than simply relocated. It’s more accurate to think of it as a structural recalibration and remember that in procurement and supply chain, strategic capability remains highly valued within the UK and globally.

    Key Takeaways for Procurement & Supply Chain Professionals

    • Offshoring is rising, particularly in administrative and back-office functions.
    • 57% of UK employers expect overseas-based hires by 2026, signalling a distributed workforce shift.
    • Compliance risks and hidden costs complicate offshore hiring, limiting wholesale migration.
    • Strategic procurement roles remain strongly UK-anchored, especially where risk, ESG and supplier resilience are involved.
    • AI is reshaping procurement roles, but not eliminating senior commercial capability.
    • Specialist recruitment guidance matters more than ever, helping businesses balance global efficiency with local strategic value.

    If you’re looking for your next procurement and supply chain role or are a business seeking to upskill or grow your team, get in touch today. We’d love to help. 

    Discover: The skills that will define procurement in 2030. 

  • How the cost of living crisis will impact supply chain

    How the cost of living crisis will impact supply chain

    The cost of living crisis in the UK is already having a significant impact on both UK citizens and the economy. Despite recent promises from the Chancellor that support will be made available, the most vulnerable people, as well as the businesses they buy from are likely to suffer in the long term. 

    The upcoming summer and warmer weather should mitigate some of the impacts on consumer energy bills and the retail and hospitality sectors should benefit from crowds out enjoying the sun. But it is vital that procurement and supply chain businesses brace themselves for a rocky road ahead. Here are some of the current ways that the cost of living crisis will impact procurement and supply chain over the coming months.

    What’s causing the cost of living crisis in the UK?

    A number of factors contribute to the UK’s cost of living crisis. These include the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy price cap lift, national and personal debt, inflation, increases in costs for goods and services and rising taxes. Naturally, there is also the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

    How the cost of living crisis will impact the supply chain

    Consumers will buy less

    UK citizens are weathering a so-called perfect storm of increased outgoing payments and higher prices for goods and services. The NI starting point has been increased to £12,570 a year, councils have been given the all-clear to increase council tax rates and the additional £20 given to benefit claimants each week has been cut. While the personal tax-free allowance will be frozen at £12,570 for the next four years, in real terms UK citizens will pay more over time. 

    All this means that people will have less to spend in shops, and online. They will scrimp on energy use, decide against expensive holidays, eschew non-essential goods, and so forth. 

    Costs for transport and logistics will continue to increase

    The chancellor announced a 5p cut in fuel duty, but of course, petrol and diesel costs continue to skyrocket. 

    The Automobile Association’s (AA) 2021 report recorded highs of 126.3 p/litre (petrol) and 129.1 p/litre (diesel). Its latest report in April 2022 revealed The South East has recorded the highest price for unleaded petrol at 163.4 p/litre in the South East and the highest diesel price at 177.4 p/litre in the same area of the country.

    Rising energy prices will affect both consumers and businesses

    On February 3rd 2022, Ofgem announced that due to record increases in global gas prices the energy Price Cap would increase by 54% from 1st April 2022. This means that UK energy suppliers can increase their maximum prices by that amount. This increase is a result of worldwide wholesale gas shortages which are affecting the energy suppliers’ ability to meet demand.

    The energy price cap was introduced to protect the consumer, rather than businesses. However, it has resulted in energy companies passing on their costs to businesses by increasing their business gas and business electricity costs. The impacts can be considerable. In fact, some businesses have received quotes exceeding 70p/kWh. Naturally, this will have an enormous impact on internal operations as well as on the wider supply chain. 

    As we said at the beginning of this article, the coming months will be a very challenging time for both businesses and consumers. In difficult times, the best approach is to remain cautious and keep ourselves informed. To mitigate risk where possible and to support our employees and those near to us, as well as our customer, clients and the wider community. If you have any challenges that the team at Bramwith can help with, please get in touch.