 "Festival season fuels temp hiring across industries, 700k new jobs expected")
As the festival season approaches, industries across India are gearing up for a significant rise in temporary hiring, with an estimated 600,000 to 700,000 jobs likely to be created. Staffing firms such as Quess Corp, Randstad, Adecco, CIEL HR Services, and TeamLease Services report that demand for temporary workers is surging by 15-20 per cent year-on-year, driven by a boost in consumer spending, a recovering rural economy, and a buoyant stock market, according to a report by The Economic Times.
E-commerce and logistics sectors are expected to see the most substantial growth in temporary hiring, with an anticipated 30-35 per cent increase. The demand is also robust across the consumer goods, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), retail, and hospitality industries, with early signs of festive demand already evident.
The festival season, which spans from Raksha Bandhan on August 19, through to Christmas and the New Year, is a crucial period for businesses and can account for nearly two-thirds of annual revenue in the consumer goods section. The month of August also has more holidays due to the proximity and alignment of various holidays, including Independence Day on August 15, with the weekend.
E-commerce likely to lead hiring surge
The report further points out that this festival season is especially crucial for businesses as summer and election periods saw restrained consumer spending. However, with the festival season beginning, companies are gearing up for a surge in demand. Businesses may use this time to launch new products and offers, while banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are likely to push for credit cards and loans. E-commerce, especially is expected to see a rise in sales, all of which will require additional manpower and, therefore an increase in temporary hires.
Consumer durables, retail, e-commerce, supply chain operations, tourism, hospitality, and manufacturing are generally the primary drivers of this increased demand for temporary workers.
Randstad India estimates that 600,000 to 650,000 temporary jobs will be created between late August and December, representing a 20 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The company itself is anticipating a 15-20 per cent rise in demand for temporary staff over the coming months with e-commerce, logistics, and last-mile delivery sectors leading this surge. There will also be a significant need for workers in customer service, logistics, customer relationship management, warehousing, and BFSI, particularly as the festival season increases loan applications.
Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities expected to see rise in temp hires
The trend is not limited to major metro cities; tier-2 and tier-3 cities are also experiencing a notable rise in temporary hiring. Increasing urbanisation, the expansion of malls and quick-service restaurants, and improved consumer spending are pushing up demand in cities like Guwahati, Baroda, Jamnagar, Uluberia, Cuttack, and Sikkim. High demand for roles such as pickers, packers, warehouse inventory staff, delivery personnel, in-shop demonstrators, and field sales workers.
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In addition, cities such as Jaipur, Indore, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Vadodara, Surat, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Vizag are seeing a 25-30 per cent increase in temporary hiring compared to the previous festival season.
TeamLease Services also reported strong demand for positions such as delivery personnel, warehouse workers, customer service representatives, and packaging and order fulfilment staff, particularly from the e-commerce sector, leading the charge in temporary staffing. This surge in temporary hiring is also a clear reflection of the booming festival season, as businesses across the country ramp up their operations to meet consumer demand.