India’s festive hiring expected to rise 15–20pc, generate 2–2.5 lakh jobs
India’s festive hiring is expected to rise 15–20 per cent in 2026, generating around 2–2.5 lakh seasonal and gig opportunities. Tier-II and Tier-III cities are expected to drive recruitment, while demand for ready-to-deploy workers could push wages higher
New Delhi: India’s festive hiring is expected to rise 15–20 per cent this year, with the 2026 festive season likely to generate around 2–2.5 lakh seasonal and gig opportunities in the second half of the year, a new report said on Sunday.
The data compiled by NLB Services showed that the bigger shift is in the way companies are planning their seasonal workforce, with employers increasingly moving from last-minute hiring to more predictive and structured talent strategies.
Commenting on the findings, Varun Sachdeva, SVP & APAC Head, NLB Services said that the festive season is becoming a real-time stress test for India’s workforce-and the results are pointing to a fundamental shift. “Employers are hiring earlier, looking beyond traditional talent hubs and increasingly relying on technology-enabled, flexible and ready-to-deploy talent. What was once a short-term response to seasonal demand is becoming a strategic opportunity to access new talent pools, assess capabilities at scale and create pathways to longer-term employment,” Sachdeva added.
According to NLB Services, employers are beginning workforce planning nearly 12–14 weeks ahead of the festive peak to build talent pools early and reduce pressure from compressed hiring cycles.
As festive demand becomes concentrated into shorter periods, workforce readiness is emerging as an important factor for businesses. The ability to identify, onboard and deploy workers quickly can influence fulfilment capacity, customer experience and revenue during the peak season.
The composition of festive jobs is also changing. While last-mile delivery, warehousing and fulfilment, retail sales, customer experience, inventory management, field operations and hospitality are expected to remain major areas of seasonal recruitment, NLB Services expects new-age operational roles to grow by 15–20 per cent.
Festive hiring is also becoming more geographically distributed. Tier-II and Tier-III cities are expected to account for around 45–50 per cent of festive hiring, while hiring in these markets is projected to grow 25–30 per cent. Cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chandigarh and Kochi are expected to see increased demand as e-commerce, quick commerce, organised retail and regional fulfilment networks expand.
Freshers are expected to account for around 20–25 per cent of festive hires, while female festive hiring could rise by 30–35 per cent as companies increasingly tap talent pools in non-metro locations.
Competition for immediately available workers is also expected to push up wages. Ready-to-deploy talent could command a 12–18 per cent wage premium as employers compete to build workforces within shorter timelines. In Tier-I cities, workers with relevant experience or immediate availability could earn around 12–15 per cent more than standard seasonal hires.
