India’s e-commerce industry likely to generate 7 lakh gig jobs in second half of 2023: Report

New Delhi, Aug 2 (KNN) India’s e-commerce industry is expected to generate almost 7, 00,000 gig jobs in the second half of 2023 as businesses are gearing up to meet consumer demands during the annual shopping frenzy in the run-up to the festive season, according to a TeamLease report.

The staffing company in a report published on Tuesday said that this year's festive hiring is anticipated to witness a 25 per cent increase in gig jobs compared to the same period last year.

The report pointed out that the demand for gig workers during the festive season has been consistently rising, not only in tier-1 cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai but also in tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Vadodara, Pune and Coimbatore.

The proportion of demand for roles such as warehouse operations, last-mile delivery personnel and call centre operators is higher in tier-2 and tier-3 centres than in tier-1 cities. This is primarily due to the recovery in rural demand expected on the back of easing inflationary pressures, it added.

Balasubramanian A, vice-president and business head of TeamLease Services, said, "Over the last five years, we have seen an impressive 20 per cent year-on-year increase in the demand for gig workers, and this upward trend is expected to persist for the next 2-3 years, especially in the thriving e-commerce category". 

“With the festive season hiring opening up in July, the e-commerce sector alone has 200,000 open positions, which will eventually increase and reach about 7, 00,000 by December,” he said.

According to industry reports, it is anticipated that the country's gig workforce will reach 2.35 crore by 2029-30. 

“As we move forward, we look forward to a future where the gig economy plays a pivotal role, and we are committed to supporting this dynamic workforce for the e-commerce sector in their journey towards success," Balasubramanian added.

Furthermore, data shows that the surge in gig/temporary workforce hiring is not limited to the e-commerce sector. Several other industries are also ramping up their recruitment efforts to meet the festive season's demands. 

Retail and logistics are among the prominent industries that are expanding their workforce to meet the increased consumer activity.  (KNN Bureau)