Amazon, Flipkart, Delhivery create lakhs of ‘seasonal jobs’ as they gear up for the festive season

• E-commerce gross merchandising volume could hit $7 billion this year during the festive season, a big jump from $3.8 billion last year.
• With Diwali around the corner, the best deals and discounts are up on e-commerce platforms as users tend to splurge during festivals.
• And this sale frenzy also means that many operations have to be set in order, which creates the room for ‘seasonal jobs’ during the festive season alone.

October beckons the start of the festive season and the much-awaited ‘festive sales’ across e-commerce platforms. With Diwali around the corner, consumers will be scouting for the best deals and discounts, as they look to splurge on gifts for family and loved ones.

While this anticipated surge in e-commerce sales and the upcoming festive season will bring along some respite for the economy, this sale frenzy also means that companies are gearing up to fulfill this increased demand. Many operations have to be set in order, including infrastructure and workforce — thus creating ‘seasonal jobs’ during the festive season alone.

A bumper festive season is coming up

While Amazon is getting ready with its Great Indian Festive Sale, Flipkart is set to announce the dates for its marquee sale event, the Big Billion Day sale. Both the e-commerce giants rake in millions of orders during these few days.

And this year, with physical retail still clocking in lower numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic, e-commerce sales are only going to get bigger. According to a RedSeer report from September 18, e-commerce gross merchandising volume could hit $7 billion this year during the festive season, a big jump from $3.8 billion last year.

That also means the bigwigs have to get ready with logistics and operations to ensure fast and safe deliveries.

Jobs to surge as companies prep for the festive season

According to another report by RedSeer, this festive season will help create over 300,000 permanent and temporary jobs. “We expect the total shipments during festive sales for the first event to grow 60% y-o-y over CY19 to reach 150 million,” said the report.

Amazon has already announced that it has created more than 100,000 seasonal job opportunities ahead of the festive season. “This year, more than 100,000 seasonal associates will join us to fulfill customer promises. We remain committed to creating job opportunities across the country, especially at a time when the pandemic has posed challenges in earning livelihood for many”, said Akhil Saxena, Vice President - APAC, MENA, and LATAM Customer Fulfilment Operations, Amazon India, in a statement.

Meanwhile, Flipkart had said that it’s Big Billion Days will create 70,000 direct and lakhs of indirect jobs., “As a front runner in e-commerce, our training and investment in the workforce is widely recognised, and contributes to skill development and enhances employability. By generating employment and enabling our sellers to scale their businesses during this time, we’re doing our part to drive growth in the industry and the economy,” said Amitesh Jha, Senior Vice-President, Ekart, and Marketplace, Flipkart in a statement.

Logistics partner for many of the e-commerce sites, Delhivery, too said it was looking to create 15,000 seasonal jobs, as it gears up to ship 65 million to 75 million packages.

While most of these are ‘seasonal jobs,’ the RedSeer report states that 20% of them may be retained by the end of the sale season.

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