Archive · 18 Aug 2026
India festive hiring to rise 15-20%, 250-270k jobs: Adecco study
During India's festive season, lots of people go shopping, so companies need extra workers to pack, deliver and sell things.
A company called Adecco India studied this and says businesses will hire about 250,000 to 270,000 temporary workers this year.
That is 15-20% more than last year.
These jobs are in online shopping, quick delivery, stores, and banks.
Many of these jobs will be in smaller cities like Lucknow, Jaipur and Coimbatore.
Big cities like Mumbai and Delhi are having trouble finding enough workers.
Because workers are hard to find, they may get paid more this season.
Workers in big cities could earn 12-15% more, and workers in smaller cities 8-10% more.
Most of the jobs are things like store helpers, customer service, and delivery workers.
Some of these temporary workers may even get to stay longer and keep their jobs.
Festive-season temporary and gig hiring in India is expected to grow 15-20% year-on-year in 2026, creating 250-270 thousand jobs.
The Adecco India report covers ecommerce, quick commerce, logistics, organised retail and BFSI sectors.
About 45% of workforce demand is expected from Tier-II and Tier-III cities including Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Coimbatore.
Metros like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad face a worker shortage of around 30%, pushing temporary wages up 12-15%.
Nearly 80% of employers report frontline and operational shortages, with a 10-15% gap between demand and available talent.
- Who
- Adecco India, a talent solutions firm, and employers across ecommerce, quick commerce, logistics, organised retail and BFSI sectors.
- What
- Festive-season temporary and gig hiring is expected to grow 15-20% year-on-year, creating 250-270 thousand jobs.
- When
- India's 2026 festive season.
- Where
- India, with 45% of demand from Tier-II and Tier-III cities and acute shortages in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
- Why
- A surge in consumer demand during the festive season, deepening ecommerce penetration and expanding organised retail.
- Expected job creation
- 250-270 thousand temporary and gig jobs
- Expected growth
- 15-20% year-on-year
- Jobs created last festive season
- 2.16 lakh (216,000) in the organised sector
- Demand from Tier-II/III cities
- 45%
- Metro worker shortage
- Around 30% in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad
- Wage growth in metros
- 12-15% for temporary workers
- Wage growth in Tier-II/III cities
- 8-10%
- Employers reporting shortages
- Nearly 80%, with a 10-15% demand-talent gap
- Seasonal workers moving to longer-term roles
- Nearly one in four