Festive Season Likely to Create 2-2.5 Lakh Jobs in H2 2026: Report

Festive Season Expected to Generate 2-2.5 Lakh Jobs

India's festive season is expected to create around 2-2.5 lakh seasonal and gig jobs during July-December 2026, according to a report by global technology and digital talent solutions provider NLB Services.

The report estimates that festive hiring will grow by approximately 15-20% as businesses prepare for a concentrated increase in consumer demand.

The hiring push is expected to span e-commerce, quick commerce, organised retail, logistics, hospitality, travel and consumer services. 

The estimate is based on industry trends, employer sentiment and actual festive job postings, rather than representing a guaranteed number of jobs.

Why Festive Hiring Is Increasing

The festive period is one of India's busiest consumption periods, with companies preparing for higher demand across online and offline channels.

E-commerce platforms need additional workers for order processing and delivery. Retailers require additional sales staff, while warehouses and fulfilment centres need workers to manage increased inventory and shipments.

Quick-commerce companies also require additional delivery personnel and dark-store workers to handle short delivery windows.

As consumer demand becomes concentrated into a relatively short period, companies are increasingly planning their workforce requirements well in advance.

Employers Are Starting Hiring Earlier

According to the NLB Services report, employers are beginning workforce planning around 12-14 weeks before the festive peak.

Early hiring allows companies to create talent pools before demand reaches its highest level.

It can also reduce the pressure associated with compressed hiring cycles, particularly in logistics, delivery and fulfilment operations where companies may need large numbers of workers simultaneously.

The report describes workforce readiness as an increasingly important competitive factor as demand becomes concentrated into shorter periods. 

E-Commerce and Quick Commerce to Drive Demand

E-commerce and quick-commerce companies are expected to remain among the largest sources of festive employment.

The hiring requirements can include:

• Delivery executives

• Warehouse workers

• Fulfilment staff

• Inventory controllers

• Customer-service executives

• Returns and refunds specialists

• Marketplace operations staff

• Order-management executives

The expansion of online shopping has also increased the need for workers who can operate digital fulfilment systems and manage orders in real time.

Logistics and Warehousing Jobs Could Rise

The logistics sector is likely to benefit directly from the festive demand cycle.

Higher order volumes require additional workers at warehouses, fulfilment centres, sorting facilities and last-mile delivery networks.

Companies may also need additional personnel for inventory management, transportation coordination and field operations.

These roles are increasingly supported by technology, including route optimisation, automated inventory systems, digital order tracking and real-time workforce management.

New-Age Operational Roles Are Emerging

The report expects 15-20% growth in new-age operational roles during the festive hiring period.

These roles include:

RolePrimary ResponsibilityDark-store inventory controllerManaging inventory in quick-commerce facilitiesReturns and refunds specialistHandling product returns and customer refundsCustomer-resolution executiveResolving service and order-related issuesMarketplace operations professionalManaging online marketplace processesFraud and transaction-support staffMonitoring payment and transaction issuesCatalogue management executiveMaintaining product informationOrder-management specialistCoordinating orders and fulfilment

Although many of these jobs are operational, they increasingly depend on digital platforms, data and automation.

This means festive hiring is not limited to traditional delivery or retail roles.

Tier II and III Cities to Account for 45% of Hiring

One of the significant changes identified by the report is the geographical expansion of festive employment.

Tier II and III cities are expected to contribute around 45% of total festive hiring demand, while hiring in these markets is projected to grow by approximately 25-30%. 

Cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chandigarh and Kochi are expected to benefit from the expansion of e-commerce, organised retail and regional fulfilment networks.

This indicates that festive employment is becoming less concentrated in India's largest metropolitan areas.

Why Smaller Cities Are Becoming Important

The expansion of regional fulfilment infrastructure is helping companies recruit closer to their customers.

For businesses, hiring locally can reduce the need to move workers to major cities and can improve the availability of workers for regional delivery and fulfilment operations.

For job seekers, the trend could create opportunities closer to home.

The development of e-commerce and quick-commerce networks in smaller cities is therefore contributing to a wider geographical distribution of seasonal employment.

Freshers and First-Time Workers Could Benefit

Freshers and first-time workers are emerging as an important part of the festive workforce.

Seasonal employment can provide candidates without substantial work experience with an opportunity to enter the labour market.

Some temporary roles may also allow workers to develop experience in customer service, logistics, inventory management, retail operations and digital platforms.

However, seasonal employment does not automatically translate into permanent employment. Whether workers are retained after the festive period will depend on business requirements and individual performance.

Women Are Becoming an Important Talent Pool

The report also highlights increasing participation by women in festive hiring.

Flexible shifts, proximity-based jobs and structured temporary employment are helping companies access workers beyond traditional urban talent pools.

In several categories, women from non-metro locations are expected to account for 30-35% of new female hires during the festive hiring period. 

This suggests that festive employment could provide additional opportunities for women who may face geographical or mobility constraints when seeking conventional employment.

Festive Jobs Are Becoming More Technology-Driven

The nature of seasonal employment is changing as businesses adopt more technology.

Workers may increasingly interact with:

• Digital order-management systems

• Inventory software

• Mobile workforce applications

• Automated warehouse systems

• Digital payment platforms

• Customer-service tools

• Route-optimisation systems

As a result, even jobs that are classified as operational may require basic digital skills.

This could increase the value of workers who can quickly adapt to technology-enabled workflows.

Retail and Hospitality Also Prepare for Demand

The employment impact of the festive season extends beyond e-commerce and logistics.

Organised retail businesses typically need additional workers for sales, customer assistance, inventory and store operations.

Hospitality and travel companies may also increase staffing to manage higher demand during the holiday period.

This creates a broad seasonal employment cycle across consumer-facing industries.

Workforce Planning Is Becoming a Strategic Tool

NLB Services Senior Vice President and APAC Head Varun Sachdeva said festive hiring is increasingly becoming more than a short-term response to seasonal demand.

According to him, employers are hiring earlier, expanding beyond traditional talent hubs and using technology-enabled and flexible talent models.

He also said companies can use festive hiring to access new talent pools, assess capabilities at scale and potentially create pathways to longer-term employment. 

This suggests that businesses may increasingly view seasonal recruitment as a way to identify potential long-term employees.

Will Seasonal Jobs Become Permanent?

Not all festive jobs will continue after the season.

Many positions are created specifically to handle temporary increases in orders, deliveries and customer demand.

However, some workers may be retained if businesses continue to expand or if employees demonstrate the skills required for permanent roles.

The festive period can therefore serve as an entry point into employment, but workers should not assume that a seasonal position automatically guarantees a permanent job.

What Employers Are Looking For

Festive recruitment typically prioritises workers who can join quickly and adapt to operational requirements.

Depending on the role, employers may look for:

• Basic digital literacy

• Customer-service skills

• Communication ability

• Reliability

• Ability to work flexible shifts

• Physical mobility for field roles

• Basic inventory or order-management knowledge

• Ability to learn digital tools quickly

For freshers, the relatively short recruitment cycle can provide an opportunity to gain practical workplace experience.

What the Hiring Trend Means for India's Job Market

The expected festive hiring expansion provides an additional source of employment during the second half of 2026.

It also reflects broader changes in India's labour market, including the growth of gig work, flexible staffing, digital commerce and regional fulfilment.

The geographical spread of hiring suggests that employment opportunities are increasingly being created outside traditional metropolitan centres.

At the same time, the temporary nature of many roles means job quality, wages, benefits and continuity of employment remain important considerations for workers.

Festive Hiring in Numbers

Indicator2026 EstimateSeasonal and gig jobs, July-December2-2.5 lakhFestive hiring growth15-20%Share from Tier II & III citiesAround 45%Hiring growth in Tier II & III cities25-30%Growth in new-age operational roles15-20%Women from non-metro locations among new female hires in several categories30-35%

The figures are estimates from the NLB Services report and reflect expected festive hiring rather than confirmed employment numbers. 

Flipkart's Large Hiring Plan Shows the Scale of Demand

Individual companies are also announcing significant festive recruitment plans.

Flipkart, for example, has announced plans to hire more than 2.5 lakh direct and indirect workers, including contract personnel, for the 2026 festive season.

The company's hiring plan is intended to strengthen its logistics and delivery network ahead of the expected increase in consumer demand. 

The company-level figures should not be directly added to the NLB Services estimate because the methodologies and definitions may differ.

However, the announcement illustrates the scale of workforce preparation taking place across India's e-commerce sector.

What Job Seekers Should Know

For candidates looking for seasonal employment, the festive period can offer opportunities across several industries.

Job seekers can consider roles in:

• E-commerce

• Quick commerce

• Retail

• Logistics

• Warehousing

• Hospitality

• Travel

• Customer service

• Inventory management

• Field operations

Candidates should check the employment terms carefully, particularly the duration of the contract, working hours, compensation, incentives, benefits and possibility of extension.

What Happens After the Festive Season?

The post-festive period will provide an indication of how much of the seasonal hiring converts into longer-term employment.

If consumer demand remains strong and businesses continue expanding their fulfilment networks, some temporary workers could transition into permanent or extended roles.

If demand normalises sharply after the festive period, companies may reduce temporary staffing.

The longer-term employment impact will therefore depend on the durability of consumer demand and business expansion beyond the festive season.

Bottom Line

India is expected to create 2-2.5 lakh seasonal and gig jobs during July-December 2026, with festive hiring projected to grow 15-20%, according to NLB Services. 

E-commerce, quick commerce, retail, logistics, hospitality and travel are expected to drive much of the demand. At the same time, new-age operational roles involving digital platforms, inventory systems, customer resolution and marketplace operations are expanding.

The geographical distribution of hiring is also changing. Tier II and III cities are expected to account for around 45% of festive hiring demand, while freshers, first-time workers and women from non-metro locations are becoming increasingly important talent pools.

For job seekers, the festive season could provide a significant number of short-term employment opportunities and, in some cases, a pathway to longer-term work. For employers, early workforce planning and access to wider talent pools are becoming increasingly important as India's consumption economy becomes more digitally driven.