Liu Qiangdong talks about the e-commerce model: is the price war leading to unemployment, or the inevitability of transformation and upgrading?
In the wave of digital economy, e-commerce, as one of the leaders, has changed our shopping methods and living habits with rapid development in recent years. However, the rise of e-commerce has also raised a series of socio-economic problems, the most prominent of which is its impact on traditional retail and the job market. Recently, Liu Qiangdong, a well-known entrepreneur, put forward his own views on the e-commerce model in an interview, and he bluntly said: "E-commerce is a price war, which does not create any jobs, but causes a large number of unemployment." This point of view immediately aroused widespread attention and heated discussions from all walks of life.
Liu Qiangdong's remarks are not groundless. In fact, with the rise of e-commerce platforms, the traffic of traditional brick-and-mortar stores has gradually decreased, and many shopping malls and retail stores have closed their doors. According to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association, a large number of brick-and-mortar retail stores have closed due to operational difficulties in the past few years, resulting in a large number of employees working in the retail industry losing their jobs. These unemployed people often face the pressure and difficulty of re-employment, and although e-commerce platforms provide certain employment opportunities, these new employment opportunities are a drop in the bucket compared to the lost jobs.
However, is the e-commerce model really as Liu Qiangdong said, just a price war and no job creation? This is not the case. The rise of e-commerce platforms has actually given rise to a large number of new jobs, including e-commerce operations, logistics and distribution, data analysis, etc. Taking logistics and distribution as an example, with the growth of e-commerce transactions, the volume of express delivery business has also shown explosive growth, which has led to the employment of a large number of couriers. According to the data of the State Post Bureau, the express delivery business volume in mainland China has maintained rapid growth for many years, providing stable jobs for hundreds of thousands of people.
In addition, the operation and maintenance of e-commerce platforms also require a large number of professional talents. From product design and technology development to marketing and customer service, e-commerce platforms provide a broad space for the development of talents with various professional skills. These positions not only pay well, but also have high career prospects.
Of course, we can't ignore the impact of the e-commerce price war on some traditional retail industries. In order to cope with the competition of e-commerce, many brick-and-mortar stores have had to lower their prices to attract customers, which has squeezed profit margins to a certain extent, and even led to the closure of some stores because they could not maintain their operations. In this case, the problem of unemployment does follow.
In the face of the challenges and opportunities brought by e-commerce, how should we view and deal with them? First, governments and businesses should work together to promote innovation and transformation of the real economy. By introducing new technologies and new models to enhance the competitiveness of the traditional retail industry, while encouraging the integrated development of online and offline, we will provide consumers with more diversified shopping choices. Second, it is also key to strengthen investment in vocational training and education. By improving the skill level and employability competitiveness of workers, we will help them adapt to the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure. Finally, we should also pay attention to the standardized development of e-commerce platforms. By improving relevant regulations and policies, we will protect the rights and interests of consumers, maintain market order, and promote the healthy development of the e-commerce industry.
To sum up, the rise of the e-commerce model has indeed brought certain impacts and challenges to the traditional retail industry, but it has also given birth to new employment opportunities and development space. We should not generalize about e-commerce as the main culprit of unemployment, but should see its positive role in promoting economic development and employment. In the future, we need to look at the impact of the e-commerce model more rationally, and actively respond to the various challenges and opportunities brought by it.