Festive season may create 2-2.5L jobs in H2
India is expected to generate 2-2.5 lakh seasonal and gig jobs during the July-December period of 2026, according to a report by global technology and digital talent solutions provider NLB Services. The festive hiring is projected to grow by 15-20 percent, as businesses across various sectors prepare for a peak demand period. Employers are beginning workforce planning nearly 12-14 weeks ahead of the festive peak to reduce the pressure of compressed hiring cycles and build talent pools earlier.
The report highlights that the festive season is becoming a real-time stress test for India's workforce, pushing employers to rely more on technology-enabled, flexible, and ready-to-deploy talent. New-age operational roles such as dark-store inventory controllers, returns and refunds specialists, and customer-resolution executives are expected to grow by 15-20 percent.
Festive hiring is increasingly geographically distributed, with tier II and III cities contributing around 45 percent of the total demand, growing by 25-30 percent. The report also reveals that the festive workforce is becoming more inclusive and diverse, with women from non-metro locations expected to account for 30-35 percent of new female hires.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
