Festival rush leaves gig workers in short supply as wages rise

30-50% from the festival months last year, and their wages have spiked 40% from a few weeks ago.

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Workers delivering products home or providing porter services stand to make ₹45,000 to ₹50,000 a month, according to recruitment and logistics companies.

Companies employing gig workers have increased incentives by 15-20%, with delivery agents getting surge bonuses, attendance rewards, and higher per-delivery pay. “Some are also offering quick payouts and retention bonuses to cut down on attrition,” said Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital, part of the recruiter TeamLease group.

Until mid-2025, wages averaged around ₹28,000 a month, said Gautam Kapoor, COO and co-founder of Shiprocket, an e-commerce enabler. But “last month, during Navratri, platforms rolled out aggressive incentive offerings, including up to 20% additional payouts on daily earnings. Some platforms are also offering daily incentives for completing a fixed number of orders,” he said.