The Impact of E-commerce on Regional Labor Market in the Era of Digital Economy: A Case Study of Employment in Internet-related Industries in China

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of the digital economy on the regional labor market in China, and explores how digital economic activities such as e-commerce shape employment patterns in Internet-related industries from 2014 to 2023, combined with empirical analysis in the eastern, central, western, and northeastern regions. It is found that due to the mature development of the e-commerce industry in the eastern region, the direct promotion effect of e-commerce activities on employment is limited, while the expansion of the service industry significantly promotes the employment growth. E-commerce purchasing and sales activities in the central region showed a strong job-boosting effect, indicating that the digital economy has greater potential in developing regions. However, digital economic activity in the western and northeastern regions has a weak role in promoting employment, and even shows a negative correlation on some indicators, which may be related to regional differences in economic structure, industrial digitization level and technology application. Overall, the impact of the digital economy on the labor market has significant regional heterogeneity, indicating the need for differentiated policies for different regions to balance regional economic development and optimize the structural impact of the digital economy on the labor market.