 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Quick commerce (qcom) industry is poised to lead gig workforce hiring in 2025, propelled by a surge in demand for faster deliveries, expansion by existing players, entry of new competitors, and evolving consumer preferences in the post-pandemic era, according to industry experts.
The qcom industry currently employs nearly 260,000 people – around 200,000 delivery personnel and 60,000 dark store workers, according to TeamLease Staffing.
The firm added that some of the major qcom companies were expected to grow their workforce by at least 60 per cent in the next six months, adding nearly 150,000 individuals.
"Qcom will lead the show, followed by food deliveries, and handyman jobs including skilled technicians, cleaners, and service technicians," Jaideep Kewalramani, COO & Head of Employability Business at TeamLease Edtech, said, adding that India's overall gig workforce is likely to grow 70-80 per cent in FY26.
This is likely one of the largest workforce expansions in the industry to date, with the rapid scaling of operations marking a pivotal phase for growth, said Balasubramanian A, senior vice president and business head, TeamLease.
While qcom has emerged as a viable alternative, the overall investments and count of players in the segment will go up, leading to more job opportunities in the gig sector, Kewalramani said.
He cited a shift in consumer behavior post-pandemic as one of the reasons driving growth.
Echoing Kewalramani's thoughts, Angad Singh, founding member of qcom logistics platform Zippee, said ecommerce expansion and pandemic-driven shift had fuelled the surge in delivery partners or gig workers in the network.
"With digital shopping becoming the norm, the demand for quick, reliable deliveries has skyrocketed, creating more gig opportunities.
"Second, the pandemic permanently altered consumer behaviour, making doorstep deliveries essential rather than optional.
"This led to a sharp rise in hiring and expansion of the gig workforce," he said.
Ankita Sahu, senior manager of Industrial & Logistics, Data Centres, Anarock Capital, said companies such as Amazon, Zomato, Blinkit, and Swiggy would drive growth in the gig economy.
"Qcommerce platforms are revolutionising the urban logistics ecosystem and are projected to grow exponentially in the next 2-3 years," Sahu said, adding that the warehousing and logistics sector contributes nearly 13-14 per cent to the GDP.
As qcom players expand operations and new entrants join the market, the demand for various roles, including pickers, packers, loaders, inventory managers, delivery personnel, category managers, logistics and supply chain managers, and customer support executives, will surge.
In the December quarter, Blinkit on average added 2.4 dark stores each day, while Swiggy Instamart added 1.06 dark stores every day.
In the last few months, Zepto has expanded to over 900 dark stores.
While ecommerce giant Flipkart Minutes aims to have 300 mini warehouses by March 2025, Amazon has started a pilot of its qcom services in Bengaluru.
Asked whether increasing demand will influence the salaries or incentives of gig workers, experts said sectors relying on gig workers will see a talent war.
"With rising demand, the competition to attract and retain gig workers has intensified.
"During peak periods (festive seasons, flash sales), hiring surges by 18-20 per cent.
"While base earnings remain competitive, the focus has shifted to sustainability over aggressive payouts," Singh said.
"There is a more or less good balance between demand and supply.
"So, there will be a little bit of a talent war as companies are trying to get as much talent as possible," Kewalramani said, asserting that companies try to provide more incentives to gig workers to earn their loyalty.
Delivery personnel in the qcom sector earn between Rs 18,000 and Rs 23,000 per month in metropolitan areas, while salaries in non-metro regions are slightly lower, ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, according toTeamLease Staffing. In its Q3FY25 shareholders' letter, Zomato co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Deepinder Goyal said in 2024, over 1.5 million delivery partners were associated with the company's food delivery business.
Rakesh Ranjan, CEO, Zomato, said, "A clear trend shows earnings (of delivery partners who work at least eight hours per day and 26 days per month) have risen significantly — from Rs 23,709 in CY21 to Rs 27,726 in CY24 — highlighting its attractiveness over other income opportunities."
In response to a question in Parliament on February 4, Shobha Karandlaje, minister of State for Labour and Employment, said the four platforms — Urban Company, Zomato, Blinkit and Uncle Delivery, which registered on the government's e-Shram portal – have 423,186 active platform workers.
India's qcom segment
Source: TeamLease Staffing
