Avetta Survey Finds Supply Chain Risks Outpacing Organizational Readiness
The survey found that many organizations lack the visibility needed to respond to growing supply chain risks.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jul 30, 2026
A new survey from Avetta found that U.S. organizations are facing growing supply chain and workforce risks while many lack the visibility and tools needed to respond effectively.
The June 2026 survey of 500 senior leaders in procurement, supply chain, operations and environmental health and safety found that 77% of respondents said supply chain and workforce risk has increased over the past 12 months. However, only 44% reported having fully centralized, real-time visibility into third-party workforce, safety and compliance risks.
The study also found that 68% of organizations experienced workforce-related operational delays or shutdowns during the same period.
"The key findings show the challenge isn't simply that risk is increasing; it's that many organizations are still trying to respond with disconnected systems, fragmented visibility and reactive processes," said Abid Yousuf, chief customer officer at Avetta. "Closing the readiness gap starts with giving leaders the ability to see risk sooner, act earlier and keep work moving safely and efficiently."
According to the survey, 56% of respondents rely on delayed, fragmented or largely manual risk visibility, while 39% said they identify risks only shortly before or after operations have already been affected. Limited visibility into third-party risk was cited by 38% of respondents as one of the biggest barriers to responding effectively.
Compliance challenges also continue to grow. Nearly 71% of respondents said regulatory requirements have become more complex over the past year, and 42% identified that complexity as a leading obstacle to managing risk. Meanwhile, 53% said compliance demands frequently divert time and resources away from frontline safety activities.
"Compliance will always matter, but compliance alone doesn't necessarily create readiness," Yousuf said. "The organizations making the greatest progress are treating compliance as one part of a broader strategy that brings safety, supplier performance and operational risk together instead of managing them in silos."
The survey found artificial intelligence is now widely used in supply chain risk management, with 97.2% of respondents reporting some level of AI adoption. However, only 38% said AI is fully integrated across their operations, while 51% use it in limited applications and 11% remain in the early stages of implementation.
Organizations reported using AI most frequently for supplier analysis (55%), regulatory tracking (51%), compliance measurement (50%), predictive safety monitoring (46%) and job safety analysis (42%).
Looking ahead, respondents identified improved visibility into third-party safety, sustainability and financial risk, along with real-time monitoring and predictive analytics, among the top investments needed to strengthen supply chain resilience. Half of those surveyed said improving predictive risk visibility is a top strategic priority over the next year.
The survey was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Avetta between June 1 and June 12, 2026. It included 500 U.S.-based business leaders at organizations with at least 200 employees across industries including construction, manufacturing, mining, energy, oil and gas, telecommunications and facilities management.
More information about Avetta's research on the global readiness gap is available at: https://www.avetta.com/company-news/avetta-leads-industry-toward-closing-global-readiness-gap