Mumbai: After the festive season rush subsides, 74 per cent of employers interviewed said they will retain at least 10 per cent of their 2026 festive hires, with most of these jobs in frontline operations, a report said.

Over 74 per cent of employers expect to retain at least 10 per cent of their 2026 festive hires beyond the peak period, through extensions, renewals or conversion into longer-term roles, global job site Indeed's 'Festive Season Outlook 2026' report revealed.

Much of this demand sits across frontline operations, from delivery and warehousing to production, transport and fulfilment, it added.

The Indeed 'Festive Season Outlook 2026' report is based on a survey among 1,277 employers and 2,569 employees and jobseekers across India.

Respondents represented a mix of industries, organisation sizes, age groups, career stages and locations.

The report revealed that over 53 per cent of employers expect ongoing festive hiring to increase over 2025, but the bigger shift is how early they are preparing.

"The interesting shift is that the festive season is becoming a window into how companies want to build their workforce more broadly. Businesses still need the flexibility to respond to a sharp rise in demand, but they're also recognising that short-term hiring doesn't have to mean short-term thinking. When employers start earlier and create opportunities for strong performers to stay on, the festive period can become a practical way to discover talent that might otherwise have been missed," Indeed India Managing Director Sashi Kumar said.

Festive demand is increasingly concentrated in roles that keep goods moving, delivery and last-mile executives and warehouse associates, pickers and packers lead expected demand at 29 per cent each, followed by production, assembly and packaging roles at 27 per cent.

But employers are looking for more than additional hands as nearly half (47 per cent) say reliability and readiness to work shifts, nights or weekends is the hardest capability to find in festive applicants.

Hiring demand is extending into more parts of India with nearly half (49 per cent) of employers expecting tier II cities to see growth as organised retail, e-commerce and consumer demand expand, while 38 per cent see opportunities growing across tier III cities and smaller towns as delivery and distribution networks deepen their reach.

Metros remain important, with 38 per cent still expecting growth to be concentrated in major cities, the report added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.