Consumer firms shower gig workers with festive incentives

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For gig workers, earnings could spike this festival season as online retailers and quick commerce platforms to delivery firms go beyond usual incentives to bolster workforce to meet the rush. On offer: daily bonuses, overnight payouts, additional reward for 100% attendance, and mobile phones to motorbikes for top performers.

Companies including BigBasket, Zepto, Flipkart, Amazon, Delhivery, and Ecom Express are ramping up hiring during the auspicious period when Indians love to buy everything from mobile phones and washing machines to cars. Special allowances are planned largely for the delivery staff on third-party payrolls. According to staffing firm Teamlease Services, a worker on an average could earn up to ₹40,000 a month during the period, a 10-15% jump over the previous year.

Tata-owned BigBasket is offering additional benefits such as loan and education incentives for workers to support their families in addition to daily and weekly bonuses, said Tanuja Tewari, chief human resources officer at the e-commerce company. As demand grows, the company is willing to increase payouts proportionately. Festive season sales are expected to jump about 35% this year, according to a report by Teamlease, helped by the rise of quick commerce and an increase in consumer spending.

NLB Services, a digital talent solutions provider, estimates that more than 10 lakh jobs could be created, with a notable surge in gig and female workforce participation. Also read | Delhivery, a listed logistics company, has launched a rider incentive scheme to boost daily, weekly and monthly earnings, co-founder and chief people's officer Suraj Saharan told Mint. Its Delhi-based peer Ecom Express has rolled out a