TikTok Shop's GMV in Southeast Asia doubled in 2025, but the talent pipeline for cross-border logistics and supply chain management has not kept pace. Finding experienced directors for last-mile delivery, warehousing, and customs clearance across six ASEAN markets has become the single biggest operational bottleneck.
The U.S. elimination of the de minimis duty exemption in January 2026 has upended the business model of Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms like Temu and SHEIN. The result? A sudden, desperate scramble for trade compliance experts — and a talent gap that no one saw coming.