Staffing industry records 18% increase in temporary workers in four quarters to September

India’s staffing industry added about 235,000 temporary workers (white and grey collar roles) in the year to September 30, up 5.9% quarter-on-quarter and 17.9% year-on-year, according to a report released by the Indian Staffing Federation (ISF) on Wednesday.

Sectors including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), e-commerce, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, logistics, banking, energy and hospitality drove the growth, it said.

As of September, the flexible workforce stands at 1.81 million employed by around 130 ISF members, according to the report.


“The upsurge in new employment growth in the flexi staffing industry, from 5.1% in Q1 of FY25 to 5.9% in Q2 of FY25, is indicative of a positive rise in new job opportunities,” said ISF president Lohit Bhatia. “This hiring surge in the market is going to stay and will further rise in the coming quarters in various sectors.”

The IT staffing industry recorded a 4.1% quarter-on-quarter increase in the July-September period, the highest in the past few years, according to the ISF.

“The IT industry has shown a steep rise YoY from 1.4% (in the first quarter of this financial year) to 5.4% (in the September quarter,” said Manmeet Singh, vice president, ISF.

ITeS, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) and GCCs (global capability centres) were among the sectors that saw hiring of temporary workers during the quarter, he said, adding, “IT staffing industry continued to witness new demands from new GCCs and also from project ramp-ups in services sectors.”

“ISF members added to the hiring trend with about 84,000 new employees in the second quarter of 2024-25,” said Suchita Dutta, executive director, ISF. “The demand growth across sectors, particularly in retail, e-commerce, logistics, hospitality and manufacturing, played a pivotal role in driving new employment during the second quarter.”