India's festive hiring rises 7 pc as white‑collar market cools

New Delhi: India's festive hiring grew 7 per cent year‑on‑year to 1,27,080 jobs in 2026 even as overall white‑collar hiring moderated 11 per cent year‑on‑year in September, a report said on Tuesday.

The report from foundit said the divergence reflected a concentrated build‑up in India’s consumption and fulfilment economy. Quick Commerce led festive demand with an 18 per cent year‑on‑year rise, followed by E‑commerce at 12 per cent and Logistics & Transportation at 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, this demand is spreading beyond the metros, with Tier 2 and emerging cities growing significantly faster, while early-career professionals remain at the centre of festive hiring.

Festive hiring has continued to expand over the last three years, rising from 98,120 jobs in 2024 to 1,18,750 in 2025 and 1,27,080 in 2026.

Travel & hospitality, media & entertainment and retail recorded over 6 per cent, 5 per cent and 4 per cent gains respectively. The report added that white‑collar gigs and freelance hiring grew 15 per cent year‑on‑year, indicating greater use of flexible talent as businesses respond to seasonal spikes in demand.

“Strong demand for early-career talent also shows that businesses are prioritising agile, digitally ready workforces that can scale with demand. As consumption becomes more distributed, we expect employment opportunities to increasingly follow the same trajectory,” said Tarun Sinha, CEO, foundit.

Metros accounting for 56 per cent of festive white‑collar roles posted only 3 per cent YoY growth. Tier‑2 cities accounted for 27 per cent of festive jobs and grew 11 per cent, while Tier‑3 and emerging cities, at 17 per cent of the total, recorded the fastest growth at 15 per cent.

Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chandigarh and Kochi are among the cities seeing increased demand during the 2026 festive period.

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