Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the employment structure in the e-commerce sector. While the debate over which jobs will be transformed has continued since large artificial intelligence models began to become widespread, recent data shows that customer service and design roles are directly affected by this change.
According to the “2026 E-Commerce Talent Market Insights” report obtained by Wall Street News from 51job, customer service positions remained the largest hiring category in the e-commerce sector in the first quarter of 2026. Despite this, these positions ranked among the areas that saw the largest year-over-year decline in job postings. A significant decrease in the number of job postings was also observed in design-focused positions.
A New Role Definition in Customer Service with Artificial Intelligence
In e-commerce, customer service has long been one of the largest employment areas for platform sellers, brand owners, and service providers. These teams carried out basic operations such as customer inquiries, after-sales support, order processing, returns, and exchanges.
However, the maturation of artificial intelligence-supported customer service systems has begun to change this picture. Intelligent systems can now manage most standard scenarios such as product recommendations, order tracking, return and exchange procedures, and the resolution of after-sales issues.
Some companies are now redefining the role of human representatives not as “problem solvers,” but as “managers of complex exceptions.” This situation shows that companies’ need for customer service personnel is shifting from simple headcount growth toward more competent operational staff.
The AIGC Effect in Design Positions
Design roles are also undergoing a similar transformation. In the past, design teams had to carry out repetitive production, revision, and delivery processes for product detail pages, marketing posters, main images, and short video content.
Today, AIGC tools can perform many basic tasks such as creating product main images, designing posters, producing short video scripts, and generating visual materials. Artificial intelligence is not completely replacing designers, but it is reducing demand for entry-level design labor.
For e-commerce companies, this change means lower content production costs and faster testing cycles. For professionals, it shows a decline in the value of roles based solely on execution skills.
Demand for Technical Talent in E-Commerce Is Increasing
According to the report, demand for technical talent related to artificial intelligence reached its highest level in the last five quarters in the first quarter of 2026. This demand more than doubled compared to the second quarter of 2025.
In China’s e-commerce sector, the core competencies over the past 10 years were supply chain management and traffic operations. In the artificial intelligence era, operational efficiency, user insights, and business decision-making skills are emerging as new areas of competition.
Cross-Border E-Commerce Employment Is Also Rising
The 51job report reveals that globalization continues to be an important driving force in e-commerce growth. In the first quarter of 2026, job postings containing the keywords “cross-border” and “overseas business” reached their highest level in the last five quarters and increased by approximately 20 percent year-over-year.
The “cross-border e-commerce operations” position has ranked among the most heavily recruited categories for many consecutive quarters. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai stood out as the cities with the highest hiring demand due to their mature supply chains, cross-border ecosystems, and international business infrastructures. The international growth of platforms such as TikTok Shop, Temu, SHEIN, and AliExpress is also increasing demand for overseas-focused positions. Hiring data shows that combinations such as “cross-border + operations,” “cross-border + content,” “cross-border + data analytics,” and “cross-border + artificial intelligence” are becoming increasingly critical.