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74% Employers to Retain 10% of Festive Hires, Frontline Operations in Demand: Report
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News18•28-09-2026, 18:15
74% Employers to Retain 10% of Festive Hires, Frontline Operations in Demand: Report
- •A report by global job site Indeed reveals that 74% of employers plan to retain at least 10% of their 2026 festive hires beyond the peak period.
- •These retained positions are primarily in frontline operations, including delivery, warehousing, production, transport, and fulfillment.
- •The 'Festive Season Outlook 2026' report, based on a survey of 1,277 employers and 2,569 employees/jobseekers across India, indicates that over 53% of employers expect ongoing festive hiring to increase over 2025.
- •Employers are increasingly using the festive season to identify and retain talent, with a focus on roles like delivery executives, warehouse associates, pickers, packers, and production staff.
- •Hiring demand is expanding beyond metros, with nearly half (49%) of employers expecting growth in Tier II cities and 38% seeing opportunities in Tier III cities and smaller towns due to expanding retail and e-commerce.
Key Questions Answered
According to Indeed's 'Festive Season Outlook 2026' report, 74 per cent of surveyed employers plan to retain at least 10 per cent of their festive hires beyond the peak period through extensions, renewals, or conversions into longer-term roles.
Delivery and last-mile executives, warehouse associates, pickers, and packers lead the expected demand at 29 per cent each, closely followed by production, assembly, and packaging roles at 27 per cent.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of employers expect tier II cities to see growth due to expanding organized retail and e-commerce, 38 per cent see opportunities in tier III cities and smaller towns, and 38 per cent expect growth to concentrate in major metropolitan areas.
