Temporary hiring is expected to rise 15-20 per cent this year as companies step up recruitment for specialised frontline roles to meet increased demand during an extended festive season, a report said on Wednesday.
Hiring across organised retail, e-commerce, quick commerce, logistics, FMCG and consumer durables is expected to grow this festive season, according to TeamLease Services’ Festive Season Workforce Report 2026.
However, hiring is shifting beyond volume recruitment toward specialised frontline roles as businesses prepare for a longer festive calendar, faster fulfilment expectations and increasingly omnichannel consumer journeys.
The TeamLease Services’ Festive Season Workforce Report 2026 is based on its internal workforce dataset and evaluates anonymised employment records of 60,000 frontline associates deployed during the season across Consumer Durables, Organised Retail, E-Commerce, Quick Commerce, Logistics, and FMCG.
According to the report, as sale windows extend from Independence Day through Diwali and the year-end holiday season, employers are building workforces designed for sustained execution rather than handling short-term demand spikes.
“The festive hiring season continues to evolve beyond volume hiring to precision hiring. Employers are focusing equally on speed, productivity, and customer experience, leading to increased demand for specialised operational roles. We expect temporary hiring to grow on similar lines to last year (15-20per cent), supported by strong demand from e-commerce, retail, logistics, and quick commerce,” said TeamLease Services Senior Vice President Balasubramanian A.
Organisations are also investing more in incentives, digital onboarding, and workforce readiness to ensure seamless execution during the festive period, he added.
TeamLease estimates frontline salaries could increase by 8-10 per cent during the second half of 2026, although employees’ effective take-home pay may rise by 5-8 per cent due to labour law changes.
The frontline workforce is also getting younger, with the median age falling to 26.7 years in H2 2025 from 28.2 years the previous year, while the male-female split held broadly steady at roughly 85:15.
Geographically, hiring momentum is expected to remain strongest in South and West India, led by Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad, while employers are expected to add workers across all regions.
TeamLease estimates that tier I metros will account for 40.5 per cent of the frontline workforce in 2026, up from 38.2 per cent in 2025 and 33.1 per cent in 2024.
Tier II cities are expected to account for 26.5 per cent, while tier III markets will contribute 33 per cent.
The growing concentration in metros is being driven by the rapid scaling of e-commerce and quick-commerce networks, particularly dark stores and hyperlocal fulfilment infrastructure. Meanwhile, tier II and III markets continue to see absolute workforce growth, supported by expanding retail and logistics footprints.
The report identifies warehouse pickers, packers and dark-store personnel as the largest hiring categories this festive season, followed by In-Store Promoters and Specialists, Retail Associates, Cashiers and Store Operations Executives.
Demand is also rising for newer operational roles such as inventory and fulfilment coordinators, warehouse automation operators and returns management executives, reflecting the increasing sophistication of India’s retail supply chains, according to the report.
