E-commerce export hubs to add 2.25-2.75 lakh jobs: Team Lease study

The Indian government’s plan to launch 50 e-commerce export hubs (ECEH) could boost employment in the country by adding 2.25 lakh to 2.75 lakh new jobs, apart from providing impetus to export capacity, says a study by Team Lease Degree Apprenticeship.

Online sellers have created 15-16 million jobs of which around 3-4 million are for women, the study says. The new jobs are not just for beginners, but spread across hierarchy and in fields as varied as management, marketing and selling. Outsourcing of administrative and HR roles has added to the growth of job opportunities, too.

The surge in jobs, in turn, will usher upskilling in the logistics sector that deals with flow of goods and services and currently has a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 12 per cent, the Team Lease report adds.

Growth of the logistics sector is linked to a seamless integration with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, data analysis and robotics. This, in turn, leads to a demand for specialised roles across areas including supply chain coordination, retail management, digital payment solution, cross-border trade, export compliance, international marketing and customer support, data analytics and sustainability, the study says.

The logistics sector is, however, largely unorganised, which creates challenges. Just about 10 per cent of the sector can be classified as formal, and only 4.5 per cent of workers possess adequate skill sets for their jobs. These shortcomings curb the scope of leveraging the latest technologies, especially when it comes to dealing with advanced equipment or managing complex international consignment. Significantly, 59 per cent offline vendors are yet to fully take part in the process of creating new jobs or acquiring advanced digital skills.