The demand for blue-collar workers is on the rise in the country as firms are looking to cash in on rising demands of the festival season, reported Livemint. As per the report, e-commerce firms such as Amazon India, Flipkart and Zomato are luring prospective staff with offers such as joining and performance-linked bonuses amid a rise in online orders.

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“E-commerce companies and logistics operators are expecting a bumper season, with sales estimated to rise as much as 15 percent more than the pre-pandemic festive season in 2019,” Nilabh Kapoor, business head, OLX People, a recruitment service provider, was quoted as saying in the report.

This is despite the gradual opening of the economy and easing of lockdown norms that have prompted customers to return to normal stores and shops.

The report added that e-commerce companies are betting that consumers will keep adding products and services to their digital carts.

With up to 4 crore new customers set to use the e-commerce mode of purchase, companies that benefited from the pandemic-era change in consumer habits are expected to hire between three to five lakh blue-collar workers this year, as per the report.

However, there exist some challenges as well. While the e-commerce sector benefited during the pandemic, the report suggests that there is still a shortage of manpower as migrant workers are still hesitant to return because of the fear of a potential third wave.

“The return is not the only reason for the demand-supply gap. The lack of skilled resources to meet the demands also contributes to the shortage,” Suchita Dutta, executive director of the Indian Staffing Federation, was quoted as saying in the report.

In some cases, salaries have been restructured to offer a higher performance-based payout as compared to pre-COVID times, reducing the take-home pay.