Consumer goods companies, retailers, ecommerce platforms and logistics firms have stepped up hiring requirements for the upcoming festive season by 20-25 per cent more than last year, expecting a strong recovery in sales, said senior executives of companies and hiring firms. Gig and temporary workers will comprise the bulk of the hiring.

One of the largest ecommerce marketplaces plans to hire more than 75,000 workers, according to Adecco India. The staffing firm said ecommerce and logistics companies are leading the festive season hiring boom with a projected 30-35 per cent surge in temporary hiring.

Companies in sectors such as retail, consumer goods, hospitality and tourism are also likely to expand their temporary workforces.

Electronic and smartphone companies such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Haier, and Godrej are set to grow the count of retail store workers this festive season, according to industry executives, hinting at a sales revival.

Talent company Randstad India forecasts gig roles to surpass 11 million this fiscal year. E-commerce, retail, logistics, and quick commerce are fuelling the uptick, it said, with a 35-40 per cent surge in quick-commerce hiring and a 25-30 per cent rise in e-commerce staffing. Last fiscal, it was around 10 million.

"We are anticipating a strong rebound in temporary staffing this festive season, with demand up 20-25 per cent year-on-year as organisations work to recoup a softer summer sales period," said Yeshab Giri, chief commercial officer (professional talent solutions) at Randstad India. "The early arrival of key festivals has prompted companies to advance workforce planning, scaling up manpower well ahead of traditional timelines," he said.

The festive season is the largest consumption period for India, accounting for 30-40 per cent of annual sales for categories such as apparel and electronics. This year, the festive season is critical for companies as demand has remained weak for the past few quarters, and sales during summer too declined due to rains. Sales of electronic products, smartphones, apparel, fashion, FMCG products and even automobiles have at best grown in low single digit for the past 4-6 quarters.

Deepesh Gupta, director and head of general staffing at Adecco India said companies are ramping up hiring earlier than usual this year, anticipating a stronger festive demand starting from Raksha Bandhan (in August) through Diwali and Christmas. "There's a strong emphasis on roles in customer service, delivery, warehousing, and digital support, especially as online shopping continues to grow," he said.

Aakriti Chandra, vice president (Ekart, Minutes, CX, Recommerce, HR) at e-commerce platform Flipkart said there is a marked ramp-up in operational readiness across the board for the festive season, particularly in supply chain, last-mile logistics, and that the company has scaled up the workforce requirements. "This year, with the festive period set to begin in August, our preparations are well underway," she said.