With India’s festive season approaching and consumers gearing up to make the most of a wave of discounts on everything from electronics and fashion to groceries and gifts, e-commerce giants are stepping up hiring to meet the anticipated surge in demand. From warehouses and fulfilment centres to last-mile delivery, companies are expanding their workforce to handle the festive rush.
E-commerce companies like Amazon and Meesho have ramped up hiring to meet the expected surge in demand. On Wednesday, Amazon India said it is offering more than 1.6 lakh temporary positions across its operations network, which supports both its e-commerce and quick-commerce businesses.
In a blog post, the company said, "These include direct and indirect work opportunities across 400 cities in India, spanning large metros as well as tier 2 and 3 cities like Varanasi, Kochi, Jalandhar, Ghaziabad, Ranchi, Salem, Gorakhpur, and others. Amazon has created opportunities for thousands of women and associates with disabilities in its network. The new associates will join Amazon’s existing pan-India operations network, helping pick, pack, ship, and deliver customer orders safely and reliably while supporting the growing demand during the festive period."
In a statement, Abhinav Singh, Vice President of Operations, Amazon India, APAC, Middle East, Africa and Turkiye, said, "This expanded workforce will help us strengthen our fulfillment and logistics capabilities and ensure we can handle the festive season seamlessly. Many of these associates continue their journey with Amazon beyond the festive period, while several others return year after year to work with us."
Additionally, the e-commerce giant noted that most of these associates have already been onboarded to prepare for the upcoming festive season.
Last month, Bengaluru-headquartered Meesho announced that it expects to create over 10 lakh seasonal job opportunities across its seller and logistics ecosystem to meet the surge in demand during the festive season. Meesho expects to generate around 6.5 lakh jobs through its seller network, along with nearly 3.75 lakh opportunities in its logistics operations.
The e-commerce marketplace termed the festive season an important period for businesses across the ecosystem. Meesho said, "This year, we expect to enable over 10 lakh seasonal job opportunities… Nearly 1.3 lakh sellers are expected to hire seasonal workers across packaging, manufacturing, production, warehousing and inventory management, as they build inventory, launch new products and expand their festive collections."
The festive season usually acts as a major growth driver for e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, with consumer spending, order volumes, and transaction values rising during this time. Demand tends to increase across categories including electronics, fashion, beauty, gifts, groceries, and home essentials, while attractive festive offers and a preference for convenience further encourage consumers to shop online, PTI reported.
PTI reported last month that the festive season is likely to create 2.5–2.7 lakh temporary jobs, with e-commerce, logistics, quick commerce, organised retail and BFSI emerging as the key sectors driving hiring. Roughly 45 per cent of the workforce demand is expected to come from tier II and tier III cities, including Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Coimbatore.
Separately, the TeamLease Festive Season Workforce Report 2026 projected that South India will account for 36.3 per cent of festive frontline job opportunities this year.
As the festive shopping rush gathers pace, the surge in hiring is set to provide a significant boost to employment opportunities across e-commerce, logistics and related sectors.
Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br>
Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br>
At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br>
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br>
Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.
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