I am penning an article for a major trade publication about purchasing certification in the context of today’s economy. I’ve done some research and found a very interesting statistic.

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In a random search of over 100 purchasing manager jobs on monster.com, I found that 20% of jobs either require or prefer that candidates have a purchasing certification. I must admit, I’m not sure what the percentage was 5, 10, or 20 years ago though I suspect that the percentage was lower. But the context that makes this statistic most interesting is that, according to research referenced in a Spend Matters Perspective from last year, “fewer than 10% of the procurement workforce in North America has a procurement certification or has gone through a formal degree program in supply management or a related field.”

What does this mean?

It means that the demand for professionals with a purchasing certification exceed the supply. Therefore, as the unemployment rate peaks and hiring resumes, those with a certification are likely to have a much easier time securing new employment compared to those without one.

With the cost of earning a purchasing certification being just a fraction of even the lowest annual purchasing salary, I can’t think of any good reason why anyone in the field would shy away from earning a certification. Can you?