India’s e-commerce sector prepares for new hiring during the festive session, targeting to employ 10 lakh gig workers and 2 lakh professionals. 5 lakh contractual staff. This increase in employment leverage points in the direction of the increasing prominence of the gig economy in the context of the retail sub-sector in India, especially taking into consideration the e-commerce sector. Given the increased utilization of internet services making purchases online, more gig economy companies and young entrants have been sourcing for manpower anticipating an increase in customers’ consumption during festivals.

The Rise of E-Commerce in India

A Digital Revolution

The adoption of the e-commerce sector in India has grown significantly in the last one and half decades. India: The e-commerce market in India is said to be growing based on research done by IBEF to be touching US$ 111. From 40 billion to US$ 46 by 2025 a year surveys show. 2 billion in 2020. This remarkable growth can be attributed to several factors:

• Increasing internet penetration
• Rising smartphone usage
• Digital India initiatives
• Changing consumer preferences
• Convenience of online shopping

Impact of the Pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 has in a way catalyzed the already fast-growing e-commerce sector in India. Since the physical stores are limited and consumers moved towards safety measures, the e-commerce sector has become a viable option. It is for this reason that consumers have shifted from their previous preference for the traditional modes of shopping and this has taken root even after the relaxation of pandemic measures.

The Gig Economy: New Vision in Employment

Understanding the Gig Economy

The gig economy is a style of work and employment that does not offer people long-term full-time employment but shorter contracts which can be freelance or fixed-term and project-based. Currently, gig economy companies have attracted increased attention over the recent past due to the offered flexibility of working engagements and diverse sources of income.

Increase in Gig Work Platforms in India

India has witnessed a rapid expansion of the gig economy companies, particularly in sectors such as:

• E-commerce
• Food delivery
• Ride-hailing services
• Content creation
• IT and digital services

As highlighted by a report done by Boston Consulting Group, India’s gig economy can offer up to 90 million jobs in non-farm sectors, and this has the potential to create a maximum of 1. As a percentage of GDP, it contributes 25% in India and shall continue lifting India’s long-term productivity in the future.

E-Commerce Sectors Hiring Boom: Festive Season 2024

The Numbers

This is expected to be brought by the e-commerce sector with a staggering 12 expected. 5 lakh job opportunities this festive season:

• 10 lakh gig workers
• 2.5 lakh contractual staff

This massive hiring drive only serves as evidence of the sector’s optimism on consumer spending patterns and the importance of gig employment during the peak demand period.

Roles in Demand

The e-commerce sector is looking to fill various positions, including:

• Delivery personnel
• Warehouse workers
• Customer service representatives
• Data entry operators
• Packaging and sorting staff

These roles are vitally important to the proper functioning of the store during the time of the greatest sales.

Factors Driving the Hiring Spree

Festive Season Shopping Trends

India’s festive season is during the period of October to December, and people purchase more products during this period. Generally, a large number of orders are placed during this period and this calls for more human resources to support the systems that handle the online marketplace.

Expansion of E-Commerce Operations

A large number of e-commerce sector industries are diversifying and going deeper into tier-2 and tier-3 cities and thus, will need a larger number of employees to support these locations. This geographical expansion is one of the factors that is contributing to the establishment’s hiring spree.

Focus on Customer Experience

It is for this reason, to help the e-commerce sector platforms retain their customers during push times such as festive seasons, these businesses have resorted to hiring more employees to ensure they deliver their products on time and attend to clients’ concerns promptly.

Supply Chain Optimization

Self-employed contractors and the temporary workforce ensure that the logistic chains of gig economy companies are enhanced and have the flexibility to adapt to the demands of their consumers.

Benefits of Gig Employment in the E-Commerce Sector

Flexibility for Workers

gig employment gives the employees freedom in terms of choosing the hours they want to work and how many contracts to undertake, thus giving them flexibility that is not available in standard employment.

Income Opportunities

For many people, including students and those who want to receive additional income, working in the gig providing services in the sphere of e-commerce sector is a useful possibility to earn extra money.

Skill Development

The e-commerce sector is one of the suitable industries for gig work since it promotes the acquisition of soft skills such as customer relations, supply chain, and information technology skills.

Economic Inclusion

The concept of freelancing can be more effective than the traditional organization in a way that it can attract more people to jobs, especially in semi-urban and rural areas where job vacancies may not be very many.

Challenges and Considerations

Job Security

As with other gig work, gig employment can provide freedom of work schedule and independence but they do not guarantee employee stability, fair wages, paid leaves, and other rights afforded to full-service employees. This is particularly worrying to workers who depend on gig work to earn their livelihood.

Worker Protections

Out of the gig workers, a vast majority do not fall under the employment category and therefore they lack some of the most basic rights that come automatically with any employment status.

Quality Control

A particular issue for gig economy companies is the possible inconsistency in service delivery since employers suddenly hire many employees on a temporary basis.

Seasonal Nature of Work

Most organizations offer employment opportunities during the festive season but this is only seasonal and therefore workers are laid off once the festive season is over.

The Future of Gig Work in E-Commerce

Technology Integration

The general impact of emerging technologies like AI and machine learning can be expected to transform the gig-based e-commerce sector in terms of automating some of the functions and generating new positions for workers.

Regulatory Developments

With this in mind, there may be rising regulatory attention together with possible revisions in rules governing the gig economy in order to protect the rights of workers.

Skill Upgradation

Due to the dynamic nature of the e-commerce sector, it could be challenging for gig workers to cope with the market demands for new skills in the job market space.

Hybrid Models

Some e-commerce sector firms may thus adopt a model that is a combination of regular employment and flexible gig work.

Conclusion

The large-scale recruitment exercise by the e-commerce sector for this festive season only goes to show that freelancing has become an important form of employment in today’s Indian employment market. The total number of gig workers is 10 lakh and the number of permanent or fixed-term workers is 2. Alone, approximately 5 lakh contractual staff are approaching the job market aimed at the e-commerce sector not only fulfilling extended requirements but also providing an added source of income to millions. Raise as it brings dynamism as well as difficulty to workers, firms, and policymakers with the emergence of the gig economy. Platforms like Rozgar.com are very important for the creation of these opportunities for candidates in e-commerce and the gig economy. In the future, the expansion process of gig work in India will continue to redefine conventional employment patterns and have powerful impacts on India’s burgeoning digital economy.

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