Especially in high demand are tech-savvy workers, they said, to fill profiles such as warehouse management system operators, automated pick-and-pack supervisors, inventory reconciliation technicians, RFID/barcode scanner specialists and experts to manage AI systems that automate vehicle routing to worker allocation.
Also read: Quick commerce race cuts product launch cycles to weeks
Recruitment services and staffing firms expect the segment to create around 100,000 temporary jobs in the festive season that starts later this month, with some estimates pegging the requirement as high as 300,000. Wages are expected to increase 12-22% based on the location of work. Quick commerce platforms are expanding their delivery lists and coverage areas.
Dark Stores
This requires more workers to handle everything from warehouse operations to last-mile delivery, said experts. “Last year, q-commerce accounted for roughly 16% to 18% of the overall festive flexi hiring pool.
ET BureauThis year, it is around 30% of the total seasonal flexi workforce demand,” said Yeshab Giri, chief commercial officer, Operational Talent Solutions at Randstad India. The recruitment agency estimates quick commerce hiring to “nearly double” this year from last year. TeamLease Services, based on its internal analysis, estimates quick commerce to account for about 40% of the overall festive flexi workforce demand this year.“This is a “notable increase over last year, driven by the shift in consumer buying pattern away from retail and ecommerce to buying from quick commerce platforms,” said Balasubramanian A, senior vice-president at TeamLease Services. TeamLease projects the number of temporary jobs created by the sector to jump to about 100,000 from about 60,000 last year. Randstad is more optimistic, as it expects the segment’s hiring numbers to cross 300,000.
Also read: Customers will feast as Zepto to pour fuel into quick commerce fire
“Unlike previous years where hiring was concentrated in mass last-mile logistics, this year’s surge reflects a more strategic, hyperlocalised deployment,” said Randstad’s Giri. According to Randstad, quick commerce companies in India currently operate around 5,500-6,000 operational dark stores in tier-I hubs and are expanding into tier-II/III urban clusters. “Looking ahead over the next 12 to 18 months, we expect an addition of another 1,000-1,500 dark stores,” said Giri.
Emails sent by ET to Flipkart, Amazon, Eternal and Swiggy that operate quick commerce services went unanswered.
Digital workflows: Techsavvy talent is in demand as companies need people to operate under rigid 10- to 15-minute delivery commitments, leaving zero margin for manual error, experts said.