Festive hiring boosts diversity as women, PwDs gain wider job opportunities
Bengaluru: India's festive hiring season is giving a boost to workplace diversity, pushing women and persons with disabilities into a wider range of temporary jobs as companies look beyond traditional talent pools to meet the seasonal surge.
What was once largely a numbers game to find enough workers for the festive rush is becoming an opportunity to make hiring more inclusive. Ecommerce, retail, logistics, BFSI, manufacturing, beauty and fashion companies, among others, are stepping up recruitment of women, while opportunities for persons with disabilities are also expanding.
Also Read: IITs to restrict 22 companies from campus hiring over unhonoured job offers
Staffing and talent firms, including Quess, Randstad, TeamLease Services, Adecco and CIEL HR, said the shift is being driven by companies tapping a wider talent pool, as well as growing recognition that diversity can improve productivity and workforce retention.
The shift is most visible in women's hiring. Quess expects 25-27% more women hires in this festive cycle than last year at the current run rate. At TeamLease, women accounted for 16.4% of temporary joiners in the current festive window, up from about 15.3% in the same period last year and about 12.5% in 2024. Women now account for 20-25% of India's flexi workforce, according to Randstad India.
"Inclusive hiring in India is moving decisively from intent to action, and is fast becoming a defining advantage for forward-looking employers," said Deepesh Gupta, business head, general staffing, Adecco India. "Festive hiring is accelerating this shift as companies build larger, more flexible talent pools to meet seasonal demand. We are seeing diverse teams bring fresh perspectives, stronger productivity and better retention."
Also Read: Women cross 50% mark in four key industries, but C-suite representation lags
Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Myntra, Landmark Group, Tata Capital and Bajaj Capital are among the companies pushing diversity hiring in temporary festive roles, according to industry executives.
"Some ecommerce companies want as much as 30-40% diversity hires in their festive temp staffing," said Aditya Narayan Mishra, chief executive of CIEL HR.
The shift is also changing the jobs being opened up to diverse workers. Women are increasingly moving into warehousing, fulfilment, dark-store and manufacturing roles traditionally dominated by men, while PwD hiring is gaining momentum in e-commerce and manufacturing, staffing firms said.
"The role mix for women is broadening considerably, including in sectors and functions that were traditionally more male-dominated," said Nitin Dave, CEO, Quess Staffing Solutions. "This festive season, opportunities are visible across retail promoter roles, customer-facing BFSI positions, warehousing, fulfilment, e-commerce operations and shopfloor roles in manufacturing and assembly."
Yeshab Giri, chief commercial officer, operational talent solutions, at talent company Randstad India, said: "The shift is from traditional shop-floor roles towards more specialised supply-chain and digitally enabled roles".
Companies are focusing on accessible job design, safer workplaces and suitable shifts to make employment more inclusive, staffing firms said.
For women, employers are increasingly looking at flexible or staggered shifts, safe transportation, workplace safety and roles closer to residential catchments. "The focus is shifting from simply offering an incentive to removing the practical barriers that prevent women from taking up temporary work," said Giri.
Balasubramanian A, senior vice president, TeamLease Services, said the share of women among its temporary joiners has nearly doubled in three years. "This reflects both employer intent and more women choosing formal, short-duration work," he added.
PwD hiring is following a similar, if smaller, trajectory. Quess hires around 3,000 PwDs annually, a big chunk of it during the festive period, while Randstad said large employers are increasingly incorporating PwD hiring into their seasonal workforce plans. For PwDs and other diverse talent, opportunities are emerging across customer support, back-office operations, retail support, fulfilment and selected warehouse roles, depending on accessibility and role requirements.
What was once largely a numbers game to find enough workers for the festive rush is becoming an opportunity to make hiring more inclusive. Ecommerce, retail, logistics, BFSI, manufacturing, beauty and fashion companies, among others, are stepping up recruitment of women, while opportunities for persons with disabilities are also expanding.
Also Read: IITs to restrict 22 companies from campus hiring over unhonoured job offers
Staffing and talent firms, including Quess, Randstad, TeamLease Services, Adecco and CIEL HR, said the shift is being driven by companies tapping a wider talent pool, as well as growing recognition that diversity can improve productivity and workforce retention.
"Inclusive hiring in India is moving decisively from intent to action, and is fast becoming a defining advantage for forward-looking employers," said Deepesh Gupta, business head, general staffing, Adecco India. "Festive hiring is accelerating this shift as companies build larger, more flexible talent pools to meet seasonal demand. We are seeing diverse teams bring fresh perspectives, stronger productivity and better retention."
Also Read: Women cross 50% mark in four key industries, but C-suite representation lags
Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Myntra, Landmark Group, Tata Capital and Bajaj Capital are among the companies pushing diversity hiring in temporary festive roles, according to industry executives.
"Some ecommerce companies want as much as 30-40% diversity hires in their festive temp staffing," said Aditya Narayan Mishra, chief executive of CIEL HR.
The shift is also changing the jobs being opened up to diverse workers. Women are increasingly moving into warehousing, fulfilment, dark-store and manufacturing roles traditionally dominated by men, while PwD hiring is gaining momentum in e-commerce and manufacturing, staffing firms said.
"The role mix for women is broadening considerably, including in sectors and functions that were traditionally more male-dominated," said Nitin Dave, CEO, Quess Staffing Solutions. "This festive season, opportunities are visible across retail promoter roles, customer-facing BFSI positions, warehousing, fulfilment, e-commerce operations and shopfloor roles in manufacturing and assembly."
Yeshab Giri, chief commercial officer, operational talent solutions, at talent company Randstad India, said: "The shift is from traditional shop-floor roles towards more specialised supply-chain and digitally enabled roles".
Companies are focusing on accessible job design, safer workplaces and suitable shifts to make employment more inclusive, staffing firms said.
For women, employers are increasingly looking at flexible or staggered shifts, safe transportation, workplace safety and roles closer to residential catchments. "The focus is shifting from simply offering an incentive to removing the practical barriers that prevent women from taking up temporary work," said Giri.
Balasubramanian A, senior vice president, TeamLease Services, said the share of women among its temporary joiners has nearly doubled in three years. "This reflects both employer intent and more women choosing formal, short-duration work," he added.
PwD hiring is following a similar, if smaller, trajectory. Quess hires around 3,000 PwDs annually, a big chunk of it during the festive period, while Randstad said large employers are increasingly incorporating PwD hiring into their seasonal workforce plans. For PwDs and other diverse talent, opportunities are emerging across customer support, back-office operations, retail support, fulfilment and selected warehouse roles, depending on accessibility and role requirements.
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