JD.com preps big pay hikes even as Chinese consumption gyrates

JD.com plans sweeping salary increases for its workforce next year, a major move for an e-commerce company struggling with intense competition and uncertain Chinese consumption in 2024.

JD, which such as Alibaba Group Holding is grappling with hard-charging rivals ByteDance and PDD Holdings, will nearly double the fixed salaries it pays to procurement, sales and other “front-line staff” starting Jan 1. JD retail staff will get 20 per cent plus pay hikes on average, the company said in a one-line statement on its official WeChat account.

Once China’s No 2 online retailer by value, JD in recent years has ceded ground to newcomers such as ByteDance’s Douyin in the world’s largest Internet market. This month, JD.com founder Richard Liu urged staff to address deep-seated issues within the company, calling for change in response to an employee’s internal post.

JD.com spent some 25.9 billion yuan (S$4.8 billion) on human resource costs last quarter, according to company filings. It has adopted discounts and lower prices this year to try and entice consumers to spend during a choppy post-Covid economic recovery.

The company posted a stronger-than-expected 1.7 per cent revenue rise last quarter, but growth remains anaemic as shoppers tighten their belts. The e-commerce arena is expected to recover gradually next year. BLOOMBERG