Procurement technology emerges as unexpected tool in fight for talent retention
With UK unemployment at 4.4% and skills gaps widening, companies are finding that streamlined procurement platforms can be a surprising lever for employee satisfaction.
UK unemployment held at 4.4 per cent in the three months to February 2025, but the headline figure masks a deeper problem. Digital, accounting, manufacturing, teaching, healthcare and hospitality roles all face acute shortages, leaving employers scrambling not just to hire but to keep the people they already have.
Pay matters, yet it is rarely the sole reason staff stay. Feeling valued, having room to grow and being able to do the job without daily friction rank just as high. When routine tasks such as ordering laptops, furniture or safety gear turn into bureaucratic marathons, frustration builds and exits follow.
Teachers and finance teams gain hours
The International School of London adopted Amazon Business to let educators source learning materials directly. Joris Deckers, IT and Operations Officer at the ISL Group, said the move roughly halved the steps required for a purchase. "It's ultimately all been about supporting the teaching and learning. That's why we're here!" he said.
With Amazon Business, we've approximately halved the steps that we need to take to make a purchase, so from an educator's point of view it's a much easier process.
Unity School Partnership took a different angle, using the same platform to consolidate purchasing across its trust. Integration with IRIS Financials feeds data automatically into the finance system. Michelle Curtis, senior finance officer, said the trust previously spent several hours each week loading purchase orders. "It's an obvious time-saver and has simplified the process completely," she said.
Procurement's own talent crisis
The function itself struggles to attract graduates, but Amazon Business's 2025 State of Procurement Report shows leaders are waking up. Sixty-five per cent of procurement decision-makers and 66 per cent of senior leaders rank retaining or developing existing talent as a top priority over the next two years.
Technology adoption is accelerating. Sixty-five per cent of organisations now use analytics or performance tools, up three percentage points in a year. Fifty-six per cent automate previously manual processes. Artificial intelligence is earlier in its curve: 42 per cent already apply it to purchasing decisions, and 38 per cent plan roll-outs within three years for demand forecasting, spend analysis and process automation.
From transaction to strategy
Automating the routine frees procurement teams for risk management, supplier strategy and savings initiatives, work that delivers more visible value and greater job satisfaction. In a market where every skilled employee counts, that shift from administrative burden to strategic contribution could prove decisive.
For organisations reviewing their procurement stack, the retention argument adds a new dimension to the business case. Policy makers are also watching as the definition of procurement value broadens beyond pure cost.
