Festive season set to bring 2 to 2.5 lakh seasonal and gig jobs

Even as questions keep being raised about employment, a big job opportunity has emerged in one sector. Between July and December 2026, the country is expected to see 200,000 to 250,000 seasonal and gig jobs created. Festive hiring is also expected to rise by 15 to 20 percent.

The estimate comes from a report by NLB Services, a global technology and digital talent solutions company. Temporary workers in sectors such as e-commerce are called gig workers. As the festive season begins, sectors such as e-commerce, quick commerce, retail, logistics, hospitality, travel and customer service are gearing up for the busiest and highest-demand period of the year.

Companies are now starting recruitment well in advance and, moving away from older methods, are relying more on a technology-driven workforce that is skilled and can be deployed quickly. Hiring to meet festive season demand is no longer just a short-term need, but is increasingly becoming a way to reach new talent, assess capability at scale and offer long-term employment later.

According to the report, companies begin planning their workforce needs about 12 to 14 weeks before the peak festive demand period. This helps them keep skilled people ready in advance and reduces the pressure of last-minute hiring. Festive hiring is no longer limited to big cities and is expanding geographically. Around 45 percent of total festive hiring demand is expected to come from tier two and tier three cities, where hiring is projected to grow by 25 to 30 percent.

Demand for jobs is rising in cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chandigarh and Kochi, driven by the expansion of e-commerce, quick commerce, organised retail and regional order delivery networks. According to the report, young people and women entering the workforce for the first time are emerging as an important talent pool this festive season.