Festive hiring 2026: 1.27 lakh openings, quick commerce leads at +18%
26 October 2026 · 2 min read · HireHo
Based on the foundit Insights Tracker released on 6 October 2026, as reported by The People's Board and IANS. Summarised in our own words.
foundit's insights tracker says festive white-collar hiring in India reached 1,27,080 openings in 2026, up 7% from 2025. This is the third year in a row of growth: the tracker reports 98,120 openings in 2024, 1,18,750 in 2025 and 1,27,080 in 2026.
Festive up, overall down
The same tracker says overall white-collar hiring fell 11% year on year in September. It links this to employers pausing before the Dussehra and Diwali cluster. So the festive rise is real, but it sits inside a cooler overall market.
Which sectors are hiring
- Quick commerce: up 18%, the fastest
- E-commerce: up 12%
- Logistics and transportation: up 10%
- Travel and hospitality: up about 6%
- Media and entertainment: up about 5%
- Retail: up about 4%
foundit also says demand is spreading beyond the big metros into Tier-2 and emerging cities, and that white-collar gig and freelance hiring grew 15%. The reports we read do not give an absolute job count for quick commerce or a Tier-2 share.
What this means for you
- Festive roles are often short term. Ask at the start whether the job can become permanent, and in writing.
- Apply early. Many employers fill festive openings before the festival, not during it.
- If you are in a smaller city, search your own city first on HireHo.
This tracker counts online job postings, mostly white-collar roles. It is not a count of all festive jobs in India, and it can differ from other trackers because each uses different data.