India’s festive hiring market grew 7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in 2026, with quick commerce, e-commerce and logistics emerging as the key drivers of seasonal demand. According to the latest foundit Insights Tracker, festive hiring has risen steadily over the past three years, from 98,120 jobs in 2024 to 118,750 in 2025 and 127,080 in 2026.

The increase in festive hiring comes against an 11 per cent YoY decline in overall white-collar hiring in September.

Among the sectors, quick commerce recorded the fastest growth as festive hiring rose 18 per cent YoY. This was followed by white-collar gig and freelance hiring at 15 per cent, e-commerce at 12 per cent and logistics and transportation at 10 per cent. Travel and hospitality, media and entertainment, and retail recorded growth of 6 per cent, 5 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.

“The festive season is increasingly reflecting a broader shift in India’s employment landscape, as hiring expands beyond traditional consumption centres into Tier-II and emerging cities,” said Tarun Sinha, chief executive officer of foundit.

Hiring expansion is increasingly moving beyond metropolitan centres. Metros accounted for 56 per cent of festive white-collar jobs but grew only 3 per cent YoY. On the other hand, Tier-II cities, which contributed 27 per cent of festive jobs, recorded 11 per cent growth, while Tier-III and emerging cities saw the fastest growth of 15 per cent and accounted for 17 per cent of opportunities.

In terms of roles, operations and fulfilment accounted for the largest share of festive jobs at 23 per cent, followed by sales and business development at 20 per cent, customer service and experience at 14 per cent, and supply chain and logistics at 12 per cent.

According to the report, the festive hiring market remains heavily skewed towards early-career professionals. Workers with up to six years of experience accounted for 70 per cent of festive jobs, with the 0-3-year cohort contributing 43 per cent and those with 4-6 years accounting for 27 per cent.