iPrice Enhances Google & Temasek's Study with E-commerce Career Trends in SEA Over the Past Two Years!<\/span>
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          In November 2018, Google & Temasek released a study indicating that the e-commerce business in Southeast Asia (SEA) is expected to reach USD 240 billion by 2025, projected from an increase of over USD 40 billion from the previous year (2017)

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          The study also forecasts that the internet industry in SEA will be valued at USD 72 billion based on the gross merchandise value (GMV) of 2018, allowing an estimated e-commerce transaction value of approximately USD 102 billion by 2025. To achieve these targets, professionals in internet-related fields must be aware and fully engaged in e-commerce operations.

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          With this data, iPrice conducted a study to analyze the employment rate in the e-commerce sector in SEA to see if it could help the potential of this business type reach USD 240 billion by 2025. iPrice collected data from major e-commerce stores in the region based on the Map of eCommerce<\/a> for the third quarter through LinkedIn, covering a total of six countries: Thailand<\/a>, Singapore<\/a>, Malaysia<\/a>, Indonesia<\/a>, Vietnam<\/a>, and the Philippines<\/a>, which are the countries with the fastest-growing e-commerce values.<\/p>


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Employee Growth Rate from 2016 - 2018<\/span>

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iPrice analyzed the employment trends of major e-commerce stores in SEA and found an average increase of 808 employees from Q4 2016 to Q3 2018, which is higher than the industry average. This aligns with Google & Temasek's prediction that employment in internet-related fields needs to grow by another 10% to further enhance the industry's potential. Coupled with iPrice's findings, this serves as a positive signal, as these career paths typically require candidates with suitable qualifications.

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Comparison of Employment Growth Rates of Major E-commerce Stores in Southeast Asia<\/span>

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From employment data, Shopee's workforce increased by 176% over the past two years, from 1,384 to 3,831 employees (from Q4 2016 to Q3 2018), averaging three new hires per day. This rapid growth has allowed Shopee to quickly surpass local competitors. The significant expansion of Shopee began when its parent company, Garena, secured a substantial funding round of approximately USD 720 million between 2016-2018, plus an additional USD 575 million after its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2017.

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          Furthermore, major retailers in Southeast Asia such as Lazada, Tokopedia, and Bukalapak have also shown significant increases in employment. However, Zalora, another major e-commerce player, has seen a slight decrease in its workforce from 1,859 employees in 2016 to 1,715 currently.

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          Despite clear evidence of Shopee's rapid growth, the well-known local store Lazada still maintains the largest workforce with 6,659 employees, accounting for 34% of the total estimated workforce of major e-commerce stores in the region (approximately 19,549 employees). Currently, Lazada is still hiring, with 19% of its workforce positions open (Shopee 62%, Bukalapak 4%, and Tokopedia 2%).

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Operations is the Career Path with the Most Employees<\/span>

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          The study found that the departments with the most employees are Operations and Marketing, followed by Engineering and IT. Additionally, a marketing study revealed<\/a> that the real challenge is hiring skilled experts in various positions such as Software Engineering, Digital Marketing, Data Science, and Product Marketing, as these digital roles have not been widely recruited before.

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          Google & Temasek identified the shortage of specialized e-commerce experts as a top priority issue that needs urgent solutions. It is common for major e-commerce companies to seek experienced specialists both domestically and internationally. However, this is not a long-term solution, as hiring foreign talent incurs high costs, and most foreigners typically seek to gain experience abroad for only a short period, usually not exceeding five years in developing countries. The best solution is to start training these career paths with local talent early on to yield long-term results.

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          Marketing researchers reveal that the most lacking skills in this field are strategic problem-solving and knowledge dissemination, as most graduates lack direct work experience that e-commerce companies require. Internship programs during studies often do not provide real work experience, as students are usually assigned small tasks that do not translate into real-world job skills. This is an area that Southeast Asian countries need to improve, unlike in the U.S., where most students have comprehensive internships that allow them to apply their experiences in real work.

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          Similarly, Cynthia Luo, a marketing researcher, commented, “Graduates often lack basic skills before starting their first jobs. Being a good communicator can help these individuals reduce work-related stress, leading to higher quality outcomes in the future.”

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          In conclusion, the next generation should recognize the potential of the e-commerce business to inspire them to start online careers. It is essential to collaborate with e-commerce companies to create internship programs that help produce skilled professionals in the e-commerce business.

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Written and analyzed by<\/strong> Kanitha Sasakul iPrice Group<\/a><\/p>

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