The Effects of E-Commerce on Employment and Productivity in Iran

The aim of this study is to estimate the effect of e-commerce on employment and productivity in Iran, with an emphasis on B2C. The methodology of econometrics in this research is panel-data approach, based on provincial seasonal data from 2013 to 2015. Evidence shows that there are 14 million online shoppers and 17,000 online shops in Iran, and 2.4 percent of GDP and 11 percent of the retail trade is done electronically. Estimate in different ways indicate that e-commerce with an emphasis on B2C, increases economic productivity. The elasticity of productivity with respect to e-commerce, is estimated to be between 0.006 to 0.0108. In other hands, one percentage increase in share of e-commerce would increase GDP per capita in provinces between 0.006 to 0.0108 percent. The impact of e-commerce on employment is negative but statistically insignificant. Due to the positive effects of e-commerce on GDP per capita and its insignificant effect on unemployment rate, we conclude that e-commerce improved the productivity of labor during period under study.
JEL Classification: E14, M14, J14.