E-com firms step up temp hiring to meet coronavirus-led demand

With online orders rising due to fears and shut downs over the coronavirus pandemic, e-commerce companies are hiring more temporary staff to meet the additional demand for door-step delivery.

BigBasket usually increases its headcount by 2 to 3 per cent every month. However, this time there has been a surge of 5 to 10 per cent. The e-grocer is hiring around 2,000 people in March.

"We have witnessed 100 per cent increase in demand. Usually the growth in demand would be 5 per cent over the previous month. But in March, the demand has grown by 10 to 15 per cent over February. This requires additional hands for delivery as well as warehouse management. The stock levels also have been increased to ensure availability,' said Abhinay Choudhari, co-founder of BigBasket.com.

Grofers too is increasing its headcount to deliver products as it has also seen a similar growth in demand for products. "Over the last couple of days, we have seen customers buying items on our platform in large quantities across cities as well as categories. Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad have seen a higher surge with nearly 80 per cent growth followed by Delhi NCR and Hyderabad, at a 60 per cent spike in business. We have seen a rise in the number of orders by 45 per cent," the company said.

Big e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart are also stepping up hiring to meet higher demand. Though Amazon India has not revealed its hiring plans yet, it has approached flexi staffing companies seeking more hands.

Rituparna Chakraborty, president, Indian Staffing

Federation, said, "The ecommerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart have reached out to us and indicated that they want people ahead of their peak season. Usually the peak season hiring starts by June-July for August before the festive season. This time they have approached us much earlier due to the unprecedented demand."

In the US, Amazon is opening 1,00,000 new full and part-time positions across the fulfillment centres and delivery network to meet the surge in demand.

"Amazon and our network of partners are helping communities around the world in a way that very few can-delivering critical supplies directly to the doorsteps of people who need them. Getting a priority item to your doorstep is vital as communities practice socialdistancing, particularly for the elderly and others with underlying health issues. We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labour needs are unprecedented for this time of year," Amazon Inc said in its blog.