Amazon India has expanded its workforce by more than 1.6 lakh seasonal roles ahead of this year's festive shopping season, according to People Matters. The hiring spans roughly 400 cities and towns, including a significant share in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, and covers the full fulfilment chain: picking, packing, sorting, and last-mile delivery.

Where the roles actually are

The bulk of the openings sit in fulfilment and sortation centres, where volumes spike sharply in the weeks around Dussehra and Diwali as online orders surge. Delivery and logistics roles make up another large share, reflecting how much festive-season demand depends on speed rather than just stock. Smaller towns are taking on a bigger portion of this hiring than in previous years, consistent with a broader pattern across India's e-commerce and quick-commerce sector, where Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are absorbing a growing share of seasonal demand.

A deliberate push on inclusion

Amazon says it is specifically prioritising opportunities for women and persons with disabilities in this hiring round. Its Samridhi programme, aimed at supporting associates with registration on the government's e-Shram portal, is part of that effort, as is a planned expansion of its Ashray driver rest centres to 250 locations by the end of 2026 — infrastructure aimed at delivery partners who spend long hours on the road during the peak season.

What this means if you're job hunting

Most of these roles are temporary by design, built to absorb a few months of peak demand rather than offer permanent employment. That said, seasonal hiring at this scale has become a genuine entry point into logistics and warehousing careers — some associates are retained into subsequent seasons, and operational experience at a large fulfilment network is a credible line on a resume for warehousing, supply chain, or logistics roles elsewhere.

If you're considering one of these roles:

• Apply early — fulfilment centre hiring tends to fill fastest in cities with existing Amazon infrastructure.
• Ask directly about rehire policy for future seasons if you're hoping this becomes recurring work.
• Treat the role as a credential-builder: note specific systems or processes you work with, since warehouse management software experience transfers well to other logistics employers.

This hiring push is also a signal about the broader season. Staffing firms have separately projected 15-20% growth in seasonal and gig hiring this year across e-commerce, logistics, and retail, with quick-commerce platforms and organised retail chains as the other major sources of openings. Amazon's numbers are the clearest single data point so far on just how large that wave is.