Will India’s festive season create over 2.16 lakh jobs?

New Delhi, July 16 (NationPress) This year, India’s festive season is anticipated to generate more than 2.16 lakh temporary jobs, showcasing a significant 15–20 percent increase in gig and seasonal employment in the latter half of 2025, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The surge in job creation is primarily driven by key sectors such as retail, e-commerce, BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance), logistics, hospitality, travel, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).

Hiring activity is gaining traction in anticipation of major events like Raksha Bandhan, Big Billion Days, Prime Day Sale, Dussehra, Diwali, and the wedding season, as outlined by Adecco India, a human resources service provider.

Numerous companies are accelerating their hiring cycles to capitalize on demand and ensure operational readiness for what is projected to be an exceptionally strong festive season.

The report indicates that the current increase in hiring is fueled by enhanced consumer sentiment, favorable monsoon conditions boosting rural demand, post-election economic optimism, and aggressive seasonal marketing strategies.

Major metropolitan areas like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Pune are witnessing a 19 percent rise in seasonal hiring demand compared to last year.

Simultaneously, tier 2 cities including Lucknow, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru, and Varanasi are experiencing a remarkable 42 percent increase in job demand. Additionally, tier-2 cities such as Kanpur, Kochi, and Vijayawada are emerging as new hiring hubs, as noted in the report.

Compensation rates are also predicted to rise, with an expected increase of 12-15 percent in metropolitan areas and 18-22 percent in emerging cities.

Encouragingly, there’s been a 23 percent increase in female participation in this seasonal hiring wave, fueled by a growing preference for flexible, short-term job opportunities.

“This year's festive season presents a sharper and more structured demand curve, and we have proactively prepared to meet it ahead of time. Unlike previous years, where hiring was primarily volume-based, employers are now equally focused on deployment speed, workforce readiness, and regional adaptability,” stated Deepesh Gupta, Director and Head of General Staffing at Adecco India.

Hiring in logistics and delivery sectors is projected to surge by 30-35 percent as companies enhance their last-mile operations in readiness for peak festive demand.

In the BFSI domain, companies are significantly bolstering field force deployments for credit card sales and POS installations, especially in tier 2 and 3 cities.

The hospitality and travel sectors are expected to see a 20-25 percent rise in hiring, while e-commerce and retail are set to dominate, accounting for 35-40 percent of total seasonal job creation, according to the report.