Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Management and business operations / 11-3071.04

Supply Chain Managers

Direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety. Examine existing procedures or opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, or processing of inventory.

US jobs
221,180 (SOC 11-3071 group, "Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers")
Median wage
$107,230 a year
Job family
Management and business operations

Can agents do the work of supply chain managers?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Management and business operations:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. On TheAgentCompany, which gives agents workplace tasks inside a simulated software company, the best agent resolves 42.9% of tasks (a November 2025 result). No task-level benchmark in our collection maps directly to management or business operations.
  • Project levelPartialMixed. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, and the best agent passes 73.5% of APEX-Agents tasks on the first try. Running a business is weaker: on Vending-Bench 2 the best model ends a simulated year with $15,515, about a quarter of Andon Labs' estimate for a good strategy.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials.
  • Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving.
  • Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution.
  • Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality.
  • Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance.
  • Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance.
  • Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure availability of materials or products.
  • Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service.
  • Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders.
  • Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success.
  • Monitor suppliers' activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements.
  • Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies.
Other job titles for this occupation (31)

Global Supply Chain Director · Material Requirements Planning Manager · Solution Design and Analysis Manager · Supply Chain Director · Supply Chain Manager · Auto Parts Manager (Automotive Parts Manager) · Demand Planning Manager · Global Supply Chain Manager · Inventory Control Supervisor · Inventory Manager · Inventory Supervisor · Logistics Supervisor · Manufacturing Supply Chain Manager · Materials Manager · Materials Planner · Parts Manager · Replenishment Manager · Supply Chain Analytics Manager · Supply Chain Design Manager · Supply Chain Development Manager · Supply Chain Logistics Manager · Supply Chain Management Director · Supply Chain Operations Director · Supply Chain Operations Manager · Supply Chain Planning Manager · Supply Chain Procurement Manager · Supply Chain Product Manager · Supply Chain Program Manager · Supply Chain Project Manager · Supply Chain Strategy Manager · Supply Chain Systems Manager