Festive season 2026: temporary hiring set to rise 15-20% in retail, e-commerce and logistics
25 October 2026 · 2 min read · HireHo
Based on the TeamLease Festive Season Workforce Report 2026, as reported by People Matters (14 August 2026). Summarised in our own words.
TeamLease, a staffing company, expects temporary hiring to grow 15% to 20% from a year earlier across organised retail, e-commerce, quick commerce, logistics, FMCG and consumer durables this festive season. The report said festive e-commerce sales crossed Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2025, up about 27%.
Where hiring is expected
South and West India are expected to lead, with more workers added in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad.
Roles in demand
- High volume: warehouse pickers and packers, fulfilment staff, dark-store loaders, retail associates and store operations executives.
- Newer roles: quick-commerce dark-store associates, inventory and fulfilment coordinators, warehouse automation operators, quality-check executives and returns-management specialists.
A different concern this year
The report found no major shortage of workers. It said the key question is readiness: digital skills, how quickly someone can be onboarded, and how productive they are at peak time.
How to prepare
- Keep your Aadhaar, bank account and mobile number ready and matching.
- Learn to use a smartphone app well. Most warehouse and dark-store work uses one.
- Apply early. Companies onboard in batches before the peak.