The pandemic forced the world to reinvigorate strategies, step out of comfort zones and accelerate digitisation to deliver products quickly to customers. This enabled businesses to opt for ecommerce models to satiate the rising demand from consumers which in return, turned out to be a boon for India’s large labour workforce. The companies are now actively looking at hiring them in significant numbers resulting in a significant rise in employment opportunities for skilled workers who are now, as per various reports, earning equal or even more than the starting engineering or even management graduates.
India has a large population, which is estimated to be about 500 million presently which forms the core of its labour force. Most of it is unskilled or semi-skilled. The pandemic which at its inception created huge challenges for them, later opened vistas of opportunities as well, thanks to the rise of the ecommerce sector and quick delivery models. Fast-developing Digital India and within that the digitisation of almost all sectors possible, has led to an ever-growing demand for labour-intensive jobs in sectors such as food supply chains, logistics, warehousing, groceries and FMCG, healthcare, retail, apparel, tourism services and so on.
During the peak of the pandemic, the demand for such workers went up 4% from 2019 and 37% from the troughs hit in 2020, as reported by Blue-Collar jobs report (based on data from more than 1,600 companies). The future is also quite promising as per the surveys. Roughly 2.4 crore new jobs could get created in the gig blue-colour space in the coming period and by 2028, this could reach around 9 crore jobs.
Quick Delivery is not a new concept
Undoubtedly, shifts in consumer patterns and the rise of quick delivery models are the catalysts behind the rising opportunities. Consumers now expect quick delivery options thanks to Amazon’s standard two-day shipping, food in 30 minutes (thanks to Dominos for causing this domino effect) and on-demand couriers. Food delivery companies like Zomato and Swiggy have made life easier for people with choices that offer a vast array of food from a great number of restaurants that they can easily order. Like-wise, Amazon and Myntra along with others have made seamless shopping possible with great delivery options. The vocabulary of customers now consists of Dunzo, Porter or Swiggy Genie when it comes to buying something from a distance without the worry of transportation and stepping out of the doorstep. The impact is so huge that it is now putting pressure on local grocery stores and Dry-cleaners to provide home delivery services to keep abreast with the evolving trend.
The world we live in has come a long way and changed a lot in the past few years, driven by technology and the pandemic. The disruptors have transformed the scenario such that the customers are no longer willing to accept delays in deliveries and companies are fast turning to quick delivery models to stay ahead of their competitors in the race. They are actively hiring people in multiple areas including delivery, sales, engineering, operations, drivers, medical sales representative, warehouse workers, after-sales and consumer grievance redressal and solving the long-pending challenge of unemployment.
Quick Benefits and Flexibility is the real hook
Additionally, the gig economy, as it is called, allows a person to earn a handsome income along with job flexibility. These jobs, particularly during surge/busy times in larger markets, are paying significantly more than minimum wage. Increasingly it is being noticed that a person has the option to work more than one job, when and wherever he or she wants to work and live a lifestyle of their choice, a trend that had not been seen earlier.
With the growth in technology, the unorganised sector is growing and this steady rise, it makes the Indian economic demography look highly impressive. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi NCR contribute to more than 50% of job creation for this workforce. Most of the workers are migrant workers, who move to the nearest cities to achieve their dreams of living an earnest life for gigs such as delivery jobs or driving jobs.
Understanding this, the companies are following the trend of upskilling and reskilling to identify and nurture credible talent and also removing the hassle of hiring, onboarding and training staff constantly. The opportunities that have been created in the technology-enabled industry are providing a better outlook on the growth and development of the semi-skilled and unskilled labourers. This industry has now become a major game-changer in the Indian economic growth giving people the right to live a dignified life.