Flipkart's Festive Hiring Adds 250,000 Direct and Indirect Job Opportunities, With Nearly 75,000 for First-Time Workers

Flipkart has put a number on this year's festive rush, and it matters most to people chasing their first paycheck. In its announcement on the Flipkart Stories newsroom, the company said it has created more than 2.5 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities, including gig workers, for the festive season. It added that nearly 75,000 of these opportunities, close to 30%, are for people entering the workforce for the first time. Most of the work is in delivery, sorting and fulfilment, and the company says the total includes gig workers. At Metaintro we read hiring news from the worker's side, so this piece covers which roles are on offer, where they are, how this year compares with last year and what to ask before you say yes.

What happened

The announcement came on Tuesday, September 15, and the Siasat report on the company statement says the hiring drive spans over 7,000 Ekart facilities nationwide, spanning fulfilment centres, sortation hubs, and last-mile delivery operations. That spread matters for job seekers, because it means the openings are not concentrated in one warehouse campus or one city. They are distributed across the places where parcels are stored, sorted and finally handed to customers.

Delivery is the biggest single bucket. The Economic Times write-up says a substantial 60% of these new jobs will focus on last-mile delivery operations. In raw numbers, Siasat reports that last-mile delivery translates to nearly 1.4 lakh additional opportunities. The rest of the roles sit further back in the chain, in fulfilment centres and sortation hubs.

The network itself is growing to absorb that work. The Business Standard report describes the Walmart-owned company as one that expands its delivery network with 900 new hubs. Flipkart's own release ties the delivery build-out to two things, saying last-mile opportunities account for 60% of the new employment created this season, reflecting the expansion of Flipkart Minutes as well as growing demand across Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. Siasat describes Flipkart Minutes as the company's quick-commerce service.

The company also made claims about who is getting the work.

Women now comprise more than 20 per cent of its supply chain workforce, according to Siasat's report of the Flipkart statement.

On disability inclusion, the release says participation of persons with disabilities has increased across warehouse and delivery operations, though it does not give a number for that increase. The Business Standard report also picks up that the expansion is creating greater opportunities for women and persons with disabilities across Flipkart's supply chain.

Two senior executives spoke for the company. Hemant Badri, Senior Vice President for Supply Chain, Customer Experience and Re-Commerce, said in the release, "This year, we are expanding our fulfilment and last-mile network significantly to meet rising customer demand, while creating employment opportunities across the country." Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Flipkart Group, framed it more broadly with the line "Commerce at scale creates opportunity at scale, across jobs, livelihoods and entrepreneurship." Both quotes appear in the Flipkart Stories release.

Flipkart is not the only company talking about seasonal work. Siasat's report notes that Meesho last month had said it expects to create over 10 lakh seasonal job opportunities across its seller and logistics ecosystem. The RetailIntel summary lists a rival count too, noting that Amazon India created over 1.6 lakh seasonal opportunities. These counts are not like for like. Meesho's figure covers its seller and logistics ecosystem and was announced a month before Flipkart's, so it is not a count of delivery or warehouse roles. Still, for a worker weighing options, it is a reminder that Flipkart is not the only large e-commerce name adding seasonal work ahead of the festive season.

It helps to know what last year looked like. People Matters reported in August 2025 that Flipkart was creating over 2.2 lakh jobs across 28 states for that festive season. Storyboard18's coverage of that round said the roles included pickers, packers, sorters, delivery executives, team leads, and customer support staff, and that Flipkart added 650 new festive-only delivery hubs in key cities including Siliguri, Kundli, and Jakhar. This year's release does not list job titles, so last year's list is the best available guide to the kind of work involved.

This year's figure represents an increase of 30,000 positions compared to last year, according to The Economic Times.

Where the coverage agrees, and where it splits

The headline figures line up across the reports reviewed here. The Business Standard report, the Siasat report, the RetailIntel summary and The Economic Times write-up all carry the 2.5 lakh total and the nearly 75,000 first-time workers. Siasat, RetailIntel and The Economic Times also carry the last-mile share, which the RetailIntel summary puts as last-mile delivery accounts for 60% of new roles.

The split is in the verbs, and it is not a small detail. Flipkart's release talks about direct and indirect employment opportunities, including gig workers. The Business Standard headline says Flipkart creates over 250,000 festive jobs. RetailIntel says Flipkart has created over 2.5 lakh seasonal jobs. The Economic Times goes furthest, writing that Flipkart plans to hire over 250,000 workers for the upcoming festive season. A hire suggests Flipkart is the employer. An indirect or gig opportunity suggests someone else may be. The release does not break the total into direct, indirect and gig roles, and it does not say who the employer of record is for each group.

The year-on-year comparison is also less clean than it looks. The Economic Times presents this year's number as an increase over last year's. Yet last year's round was described by Storyboard18 as over 2.2 lakh seasonal job opportunities across its supply chain, logistics, and last-mile delivery network, without the direct and indirect wording used this year. Neither year's coverage reviewed here says whether the two totals were counted the same way. The first-time figures use different bases as well. Last year's coverage put first-time workforce entrants at 15% of the hires, while this year's release puts them at close to 30% of employment opportunities, so the two shares are not directly comparable.

Other festive-season numbers in circulation are framed differently again. A Times of India headline read festive season set to create 2.5 lakh temporary, gig jobs. A Hindustan Times opinion column wrote that companies providing gig workers think 2.5-3 lakh new jobs can be created this year, and that they are expecting an increase in hiring by 8-15%. The column's range comes from companies that supply gig workers, while Flipkart's total is one company's count of direct and indirect opportunities, so the two should not be read as the same measure.

Then there is the framing. The RetailIntel summary frames the news around infrastructure, saying Flipkart's expanded hub network and Flipkart Minutes investment raise the strategic value of regional logistics, delivery-partner, and quick-commerce infrastructure assets across India's smaller cities. Flipkart's release uses the language of opportunity, describing the first-time roles as creating pathways into formal employment across communities in India. The Hindustan Times column, writing about app-based gig work in general rather than about Flipkart or festive hiring, argues that uniforms, clean vehicles and direct bank transfers look attractive from a distance but amount to the illusion of formalisation.

Festive hiring of gig workers is transient, and the moment festive demand subsides, the jobs will vanish too, according to a Hindustan Times opinion column.

The column goes further, arguing that once festive and discount seasons end, incentives for the delivery partners are discontinued and apps block worker IDs. The column cites NITI Aayog for the figure that 27% of the gig workers in India face accidents (minor or serious), without giving the year of that study. That column is about gig work across many apps, not about Flipkart specifically, and it should be read that way. A separate Business Standard report on a survey of 1,000 platform workers also found gaps in insurance and safety training, while extreme heat, road accidents and long working hours add to risks. That survey also covers the platform workforce as a whole.

The primary document does contain worker-side details that the Siasat, RetailIntel and Economic Times versions reviewed here leave out. Flipkart says its Supply Chain Operations Academy has awarded nearly 10,000 certifications ahead of the festive season, in a programme delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, NCVET and ITI Kalyani. It also lists support for its supply chain workforce through programmes including medical and accident insurance, 24x7 Doctor on Call and support for e-Shram registration. Those three items speak directly to the risks the survey and the column describe, and they are the details a new worker should ask about by name.

What this means for your job search

Our view is that this is a real opening, especially for people outside the big metros and for anyone without a long work history, but an opportunity in a press release is not yet a contract. Treat the festive season as a paid trial. Go in knowing exactly what you are signing up for, collect proof of the skills you build, and plan your next step before the rush ends.

Start with the most basic question, which is who your employer actually is. Flipkart's total counts direct and indirect employment opportunities, including gig workers in one number. Before you accept, ask whether you will be on Flipkart's payroll, on a staffing agency's payroll, working for a delivery partner company or signed up as a gig partner through an app. Each arrangement comes with different pay rules, different protections and a different person to call when something goes wrong. Get the answer in writing, even if it is only an offer message or a joining letter.

Next, ask how pay is calculated. None of the reports reviewed here prints pay rates for these roles, so do not assume a figure you have heard from a friend. Ask whether you are paid a fixed monthly amount, per shift, per delivery or per order, and how incentives work during peak days. The Hindustan Times column warns that after the season incentives for the delivery partners are discontinued, so ask what your earnings look like on an ordinary day, not just on a sale day.

Ask about the end date. The release describes these as opportunities for the festive season and does not say how many will continue afterwards. A fair question at joining is whether any roles in your hub or centre stay open after the season, and what a worker needs to do to be considered. If the honest answer is that the job ends when the rush ends, you still gain something, but you should start looking for your next role while you are still earning.

Ask about cover before your first shift. Flipkart says it provides medical and accident insurance, 24x7 Doctor on Call and support for e-Shram registration to its supply chain workforce. Confirm that your specific role is included, especially if you are joining through an agency or as a gig partner. This matters because the survey of platform workers points to extreme heat, road accidents and long working hours as risks. Delivery riders should also ask what happens to their earnings if they are injured and cannot log in.

Keep your own records from day one. Save your joining message, your ID number on any app, screenshots of your weekly earnings and any message about incentives or targets. The column describes apps that block worker IDs once the season ends, and if that happens you will want proof of what you were owed. Our guide on what deactivated gig drivers can do was written for US drivers, but the habit of documenting everything travels well to any app-based job.

Use the season to earn something that lasts longer than the job. Flipkart says its academy has awarded nearly 10,000 certifications, with trainees gaining hands-on experience across supply chain operations. Ask whether seasonal workers can enrol and whether the certificate is recognised outside Flipkart. A certificate, a reference from a team lead and a clean attendance record are what turn a festive stint into a stronger application for warehouse, logistics or retail roles later in the year.

Look where the growth is. With more than 900 new festive delivery hubs and demand growing in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, workers in smaller cities may find openings closer to home. That can mean less time and money spent on commuting, which matters when pay is tied to deliveries completed. For women considering these roles, Flipkart's statement that women make up more than 20 per cent of its supply chain workforce is a useful opening to ask about shift timings, transport and safety at your specific site.

Our advice is to treat any request for money to secure one of these roles as a red flag, and our piece on how to spot holiday hiring scams covers other warning signs worth knowing. We would apply only through official channels or known staffing partners, and walk away from any offer that needs an upfront fee.

Finally, plan the handover from seasonal to steady work before the season ends. The skills you use every day in these roles, such as working to a deadline, handling stock accurately, following safety processes and dealing politely with customers at the door, are exactly what employers in retail, logistics and quick commerce look for. Our advice on moving from part-time work into a full-time career applies here too. Ask your supervisor for feedback in the last weeks, and use it in your next interview.

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People Also Asked

Q: Are Flipkart's festive season job opportunities permanent?

A: The announcement describes more than 2.5 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities, including gig workers, for the festive season and does not say how many continue after the season ends. Ask at joining whether your role has an end date and whether any positions at your site stay open afterwards.

Q: Can someone with no work experience get one of these roles?

A: Yes, that is a large part of the plan. Flipkart says nearly 75,000 of these opportunities, close to 30%, are for people entering the workforce for the first time. Last year's round listed roles such as pickers, packers, sorters, delivery executives, team leads, and customer support staff, which gives a sense of the entry points.

Q: Where are most of the Flipkart festive roles?

A: Most are in delivery. Siasat reports that last-mile delivery will account for 60 per cent of the new roles, translating to nearly 1.4 lakh additional opportunities, with more than 900 new festive delivery hubs serving Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets and Flipkart Minutes.

Ready to explore? Pickers, packers, sorters and delivery staff build speed, accuracy and customer skills that retail, logistics and e-commerce employers hire for all year, not just in the festive rush. Metaintro helps you find roles that fit what you can already do. Create a free profile and start your search today.