Festive Hiring Eases to 20% in 2025, But Still Adds 2.16 Lakh Jobs — The Seasonal Jobs Paradox Explained

India’s festive hiring seems to be settling into a slower rhythm as the growth rate of gig workers demand, which touched 45% year-on-year in 2021, has steadily eased over the past five years. In 2025, festive hiring is expected to rise only by 15-20% Y-o-Y, which will create over 2.16 lakh temporary roles across sectors, according to Balasubramanian A, senior vice president at TeamLease Services.

“In 2021, when the economy was bouncing back post-Covid, demand shot up by almost 45-50%. The momentum held strong in 2022 with 25-30% increase. By 2023, growth had moderated to about 20-25%, and in 2024 it softened further to around 15-18%. For 2025, festive hiring is expected to rise by 15-20%,” he said.

While the growth rate has eased from the post-pandemic highs, Balasubramanian asserted that the absolute number of jobs keeps climbing to show how central gig work has become to India’s festive economy. On average, festive hiring runs 20-35% higher than in non-festive months.

And the sharpest spikes are observed in delivery, warehousing, and customer-facing roles that are critical to handling the surge in orders and footfalls, he added.

Ecommerce, Logistics & New Growth Pockets

Sectors like ecommerce and quick commerce will continue to lead festive hiring this year. The HR tech firm revealed that ecommerce staffing is projected to grow by 25-30%, while quick commerce is set to surge by 35-40%.

Amazon India has recently announced that it has created more than 150,000 seasonal job opportunities across its operations network ahead of the festive season. These include direct and indirect work opportunities at Amazon’s fulfilment centres (FCs), sort centres, and last-mile delivery network across India.

Besides these rapidly growing sectors, logistics and last-mile delivery are also experiencing a strong 30-25% increase, as companies expand their distribution capacity, which is driven by robust demand in retail, FMCG, BFSI, hospitality, and travel.

The type of roles being offered reflects the sectoral skew. Delivery personnel remain in the highest demand, making up close to 40% of festive hires. This is followed by warehouse workers (20%), customer support executives (15%), retail floor staff (10%), and field technicians (8%).

The hiring mix remains heavily tilted towards delivery and logistics, in line with the expansion of ecommerce and quick commerce. Geographically, tier 1 metros such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad remain the largest hiring markets, with festive jobs up by nearly 20% this year.

“But the real momentum is coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities like Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Kochi, and Coimbatore, where festive hiring is up by almost 40%. These cities are emerging as both consumption hubs and important supply bases for gig talent,” he said.

Wages, Incentives & Workforce Shifts

During the festive season, wages are also expected to rise by 12-15% in metropolitan cities and by a sharper 18-22% in tier 2 towns, according to TeamLease Services data. Instead of major jumps in base pay, companies are offering more dynamic earnings models - surge-time incentives, attendance-linked bonuses, referral benefits, and per-delivery payouts.

“Spending on incentives and bonuses has gone up by about 15–20% compared to 2024. Employers are also giving incentives, especially in delivery and logistics, where demand is highest. These extra payouts not only help fill positions faster but also reduce the risk of workers dropping out mid-season,” Balasubramanian noted.

Yet attrition remains a challenge—expected to stay in the range of 35–40%, particularly in high-pressure delivery roles like quick commerce and ecommerce sectors.

The festive hiring wave is also drawing in first-time gig workers, especially students and fresh graduates (18-25 years), who are seeking short-term income. Women’s participation has risen by 23% YoY, with many entering customer support, warehouse, and retail roles.

“This reflects not only stronger digital comfort among workers but also employers’ efforts to make gig roles more inclusive and flexible,” he added.

Compliance Trails Festive Surge

Even as festive hiring surges, India’s regulatory framework for gig and platform workers remains patchy. Barring a couple of states, most have not yet enacted specific laws for gig workers, Rishi Agrawal, CEO and cofounder of TeamLease Regetch noted.

Rajasthan passed the Rajasthan Platform-Based Gig Workers Act, 2023 and Karnataka followed with an ordinance in 2025, though the detailed rules required to implement these frameworks are still awaited. At the national level, the Code on Social Security, 2020 also recognises gig and platform workers, but its provisions are yet to be notified.

“So irrespective of the festive season, there is currently no defined regulatory mechanism that mandates that gig hires receive safety training, insurance coverage, or workplace safety compliance,” Agrawal added.

He stated that festive-season hiring continues to operate in a grey zone. In the absence of notified rules, gig workers do not yet possess a unique, portable identifier, similar to a PF number, that would allow for continuity, and enforceability of benefits across platforms and jurisdictions.