Bengaluru: Seasonal demand for manpower is soaring in tandem with rising mercury levels. Staffing firms including Manpower, Adecco and CIEL HR Services told ET that 2024 looks set to be a record year for temporary summer jobs, with demand from sectors such as consumer durables, retail, ecommerce, logistics, hospitality, manufacturing and BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance). They, along with others like Randstad and TeamLease, are expecting 20-25% growth from the year earlier.
Most in demand are delivery, in-store, on-ground, after-sales service and manufacturing workers for industries producing summer goods with companies struggling to find people to fill roles.
A further boost is expected in May-June as ecommerce giants kick off summer sales, and tourism and hospitality activities increase during the school holidays. “This is the best year in terms of summer demand, even better than 2019, which had been the best pre-Covid,” said Alok Kumar, senior director at ManpowerGroup India.
Retail, services, manufacturing and beverages companies are among clients that are hiring most aggressively. At Randstad India, there has been a 20-25% rise in demand for temp workers from last year to cater to summer-specific demand.
“The need for after-sales service technicians has exceeded pre-pandemic levels by around 18-20% due to a spike in purchases of consumer products, especially cooling appliances,” said Yeshab Giri, chief commercial officer, operational talent solutions, Randstad India. “There has also been a significant uptick in demand for in-store workforce like sales and customer service.”
Peak Business Period
Businesses in sectors such as non-banking finance, retail, ecommerce, consumer durables and beverage bottling plants are aggressively hiring temporary staff for junior positions to enable seamless scaling of business during the peak season, Giri pointed out.
Apart from cooling appliances, ancillary sectors including logistics and operations are also showing a strong uptick in hiring intent. With an estimated 35-50% surge, these industries are propelled by the increasing preference for online shopping, brand promotions at retail outlets and the imperative for efficient supply chain management to meet soaring consumer demand, said AR Ramesh, CEO, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship.
At Adecco, the demand for temporary workforce is estimated to rise by 20-22% this year from last year, said Manu Saigal, director, general staffing. Besides retail, ecommerce, logistics, BFSI and hospitality, the manufacturing sector is experiencing a significant jump in talent demand, particularly among major consumer durable companies as they ramp up production for summer.
“Both online and offline retail channels are witnessing a rise in customer interest and engagement with these seasonal offerings,” said Saigal.
There’s demand for retail sales associates, pickers, packers, and delivery personnel. Alongside, within the manufacturing sector, there is a pronounced need for candidates with Industrial Training Institute (ITI) diplomas to take on shop floor roles.
The construction industry is seeking more workers as weather conditions allow projects to progress more efficiently, said Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD and CEO of CIEL HR. To be sure, heatwave conditions could affect work timings.
“Typical roles sought during this period include construction workers, technicians, supervisors, quantity surveyors, store executives, accountants and sales executives,” he said. “Moreover, the demand for summer camp counsellors rises, catering to the educational and recreational needs of children.”
