India's festive season to create 2 lakh jobs; tier II, III cities driving demand: NLB Services

Mumbai, Sep 25 (PTI) India's festival season is expected to generate up to 2 lakh jobs across key sectors with a significant hiring surge across tier II and III cities, global technology and digital talent solutions provider NLB Services said on Thursday.

Hiring during the festive period is up by approximately 20-25 per cent compared to last year and is expected to touch 2 lakh jobs, NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug said.

Sectors such as quick commerce and third-party logistics are driving the uptick, supported by significant investments in supply chain and last-mile delivery infrastructure, he stated.

Of the projected new jobs, 70 per cent are expected to be gig roles, while 30 per cent are permanent, suggesting that companies are adopting a blended workforce model to balance flexibility and scale, Alug said.

He said, large Q-commerce and e-commerce players are projected to retain 26 per cent of this expanded workforce beyond the festive window, which suggests a structural shift rather than a seasonal spike.

In contrast to previous years, when 70-75 per cent of gig roles were typically phased out post-festivities, workforce demand is now expected to stabilise at higher levels, he added.

He said hiring this year across tier II and III cities, which are projected to strengthen their role as active growth centres, is expected to witness a significant surge.

Locations such as Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Indore, Surat, and Nagpur are anticipated to see a 30-40 per cent increase in gig hiring compared to the same period last year.

With these cities emerging as micro-fulfilment hubs for retail and e-commerce companies, tier II cities accounted for 47 per cent (YoY) of total gig hiring during the last festive season, which is expected to rise to 50 per cent in FY26.

Another defining shift projected this year is greater gender diversity in festive workforce participation, Alug said.

The gig economy, particularly in sectors like customer experience, delivery, grooming, and food services, is expected to see a notable rise in female workforce involvement, he stated.

Alug said this season is projected to witness a 30-35 per cent increase in women taking up short-term or gig-based roles as compared to last year.

Over 35 per cent of businesses are now rethinking festive hiring as a component of their long-term talent strategy.

"We're seeing companies invest in pre-festive skilling initiatives, revisit their workforce diversity goals, and increasingly view seasonal demand as a testing ground for agile workforce models," he added. PTI SM MR