India’s e-commerce firms ramp up hiring

BigBasket and Flipkart are two of the biggest names that have been impacted by the rise of COVID-19 across India.

E-commerce firms in India are ramping up hiring, especially in metropolitan cities that have been hit the most by the second wave of the pandemic, amidst a shortage of workers that has severely affected online grocers just when demand for grocery delivery is at its peak, IGD has reported.

The report noted that online retailers are now aggressively increasing recruitment efforts and ramping up testing of their frontline workforce.

Bengaluru-based online platform BigBasket is hiring double the number of workers it needs to cope with the surge of online orders by 23% to 25%. Big Basket’s founder and CEO Hari Menon said that the company has been facing problems due to its staff falling ill.

“The moment someone shows any signs of illness, they’re not supposed to report to us, and now so many people are calling in sick,” Menon said.

At the same time, Walmart-owned Flipkart also observed an increase in absenteeism due to the spike in coronavirus symptoms. But because of the relatively younger age of its workers, the retailer has reported that most are exhibiting milder symptoms. 

To ensure the safety of its staff and customers, Flipkart is hoping to get its workers vaccinated starting June.

IGD noted that India’s second wave of COVID-19 infections continue to worsen, with no signs of slowing down, and the country’s overwhelmed healthcare system faces a shortage of hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines.

“This has prompted another round of movement restrictions, with shorter operating hours even for grocery operators and other essential services,” IGD’s senior retail analyst Francis Ramos commented.