The E-Commerce Job Market in Germany
E-commerce continues to be a rapidly growing market, and this growth is reflected in the corresponding job market. Growing applicant levels are to be expected in the coming years - with changing qualification demands by the industry.
Job market opportunities
According to a survey by the German Federal Association of E-Commerce and Mail-Order Trade – bevh, two thirds of recruitment consultants expect more and more applicants to pursue careers in online and multi-channel businesses in the coming years. Because the internet is becoming more common as a sales channel, graduates - including those without a computer science-related degree - have a plethora of opportunities in this industry sector. Graduates with degrees in marketing, management, business engineering, and even graphic design can find themselves with a rewarding career path in this field. Germany's e-commerce industry is expecting rising applicant levels from these areas of expertise within the next years.
E-commerce training programs
The demands placed upon e-commerce professionals are increasingly less technical and more business and marketing based. Moreover, e-commerce career entry points are incredibly diverse thanks to the young nature and new fields of activity in e-commerce. The requirements placed upon prospective employees can vary significantly. The number and range of market players in e-commerce is constantly growing: from mail order companies and specialty suppliers to auction and price comparison platforms.
Accordingly, e-commerce offers numerous career opportunities including online shop manager, content manager, online marketing manager and affiliate manager positions to name but a few. Online retailers and industry associations also promote young talent: the industry association bevh introduced a new E-Commerce Kaufleute (“E-Commerce Merchants”) training program in 2018.
Demand for the new profession in the economy is high. More than 80 percent of online and multichannel merchant members of the bevh plan to train e-commerce professionals – for trade with both end customers and commercial clients. These training programs merge knowledge in the specialist fields of informatics and economics and provide e-commerce with a versatile and growing pool of well-educated young talent.
