Mumbai Two to 2.5 lakh seasonal and 'gig' jobs are likely to be created in India during July to December 2026 and hiring is estimated to increase by 15-20 per cent during festivals. This estimate has been made in a report by NLB Services, a global technology and digital talent solutions provider. Temporary workers working in sectors like e-commerce are called 'gig'.
New opportunities for increasing employment in delivery and warehousing
According to the report, with the beginning of the festive season in the country, businesses related to e-commerce, quick commerce, retail, logistics, hospitality, travel and consumer services are preparing for the busiest demand phase of the year.
Demand is increasing in these cities including Lucknow, Indore
The expansion of e-commerce and quick commerce has expanded the scope of employment beyond the metros. in the report Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chandigarh and Kochi Such cities have been included among the markets with increasing recruitment demand. The growth of regional fulfillment centres, delivery networks, warehouses and dark stores is creating local employment opportunities in these cities.
Opportunities will be available from delivery to warehouse
With online orders and offline sales increasing during the festive season, companies are strengthening their supply chains. In such Last-mile delivery, warehousing, fulfillment, retail sales, inventory management, customer experience, and field operations Demand is likely to remain in areas like.
Apart from this, some new types of operational roles are also emerging rapidly. These include positions such as dark-store inventory controller, returns and refund specialists, customer-resolution executives, marketplace operations professionals, catalog management, and order management.
Work pressure increases during festive season
Varun Sachdeva, Senior Vice President and Head APAC, NLB Services, said, “The festive season is becoming a testing time for India's workforce. “Employers are starting to recruit earlier and moving beyond traditional employment centers to rely more on technology-based, robust, and ready-to-engage employees.”
Companies are already preparing for hiring
This is to prepare the talent pool in advance and reduce the pressure of sudden increase in demand during the peak season. Due to sudden increase in festive demand, companies are under pressure to arrange more employees in less time. For this reason, changes are also being seen in the recruitment strategy. According to NLB Services, employers are starting workforce planning about 12-14 weeks before the peak of the festive season.
Opportunities for first time job seekers too
Flexible shifts, jobs available close to home and structured employment for limited periods of time are increasing opportunities for people who want to be part of the workforce for the first time. One special thing about festive hiring is that companies are also counting on the new talent pool. Freshers, first-timers and women are emerging as important talent pools. According to the report, in some categories, women coming from non-metro areas may account for 30-35 percent of new women appointments.
Small cities are becoming new employment centers
The scope of recruitment is also increasing geographically during festivals. Of the total festive recruitment demand, around 45 per cent share is expected to come from tier II and III cities, while recruitment in these markets is expected to grow by 25-30 per cent.
He said, “Recruitment to meet the demand during festivals is no longer just a short-term need, but is also becoming a means to reach new talent pools, test their potential on a larger scale and create long-term employment opportunities.”
According to the report, companies start planning their workforce needs about 12-14 weeks before the increased demand during festivals. This helps them prepare the talent pool in advance and reduce the pressure of short-term recruitment.