Temporary Jobs Sees a Spike During Festive Hiring

The festive spirit has once again swept across the nation! It’s the perfect time for a shopping extravaganza! While consumers indulge in the shopping season, businesses gear up to expand their customer base. Consequently, the period from August to November is a peak hiring season in India. Thus, like every year, this year too, a lot of Indian firms from various industries like Telecom, Retail, BFSI, hospitality, e-commerce, and logistics are engaging in bulk hiring for temporary jobs to brace for an expected upswing in seasonal consumer spending behaviour. This impact is particularly notable in staffing firms, as they play a crucial role in helping companies meet this demand efficiently and cost-effectively. They provide access to a flexible and qualified workforce, allowing businesses to navigate seasonal peaks while maintaining operational excellence.

Festive fervour breeds jobs in these industries

Smartphone manufacturing companies: Smartphone manufacturing firms are anticipated to generate around 60,000 direct employment opportunities within the country over the next 6 to 12 months. This aligns with India’s rise as the world’s second-largest mobile handset producer. The government’s initiative to transform India into a manufacturing hub is projected to produce around 270-300 million smartphone units this year. The increased demand for domestically manufactured phones will also drive a need for logistics and packaging services, leading to further indirect job opportunities within these sectors. Kartik Narayan, CEO – Staffing, TeamLease, said, “We are expecting 40,000–60,000 direct jobs in phone manufacturing pan India by March 2024. India has over 200 mobile manufacturing units. It is the second-largest mobile manufacturer in volume terms. This is leading to a huge demand for manpower.”

Hospitality: “Staycations,” “workcations,” and solo trips now shape curated travel experiences. According to employment website Indeed, India’s travel and tourism sector has rebounded post-pandemic, with hospitality job postings surging by 66% between June 2022 and 2023. This marks a significant recovery from the previous decline, offering hope for the industry’s future and boosting job seekers’ interest by 3%. Top cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru lead job postings, while tier 2 cities like Mohali and Coimbatore also see rising demand, each at 4% amid the festive hiring bustle.

Retail, E-commerce & Logistics: The trading community is gearing up to meet the festive hiring demands. E-way bill volumes, omnichannel, and 5G revolutions all further fast-tracked consumer demand and sales strategies. These festivities’ demand and supply are pushing staffing requirements to unprecedented highs as companies use the occasion to advance their diversity agenda. There are almost 3x women hiring during this mega shopping festive season. There is an in-demand for female warehouse and delivery personnel to meet the mid-and-last-mile workforce. Industry experts say female delivery partners have at least 10–20% higher productivity than their gender counterparts. As a result, hiring women in temp roles has consistently seen a jump. The e-commerce and logistics sectors are estimated to hire a significant workforce of around 300,000 employees. As per Balasubramanian A, VP & Business Head, TeamLease Services, “Over the last quarter, several prominent e-commerce players have announced their bullish plans for this festive season.” 

BFSI: The BFSI sector is experiencing a surge in credit card sales, personal finance, and retail insurance due to increased consumer spending and economic confidence. This is expected to create around 50,000 temporary jobs in the second half of this year as BFSI firms expand their workforce to meet growing demand. Speaking about this increasing demand, Krishnendu Chatterjee, VP and Business Head, TeamLease, told Moneycontrol, “As credit card transactions surge, personal finance applications proliferate, and India’s digital payment landscape flourishes, we are poised for a dynamic job market over the next 5–6 months.”