The quick commerce or q-commerce sector is growing in leaps and bounds. Service is so fast that sometimes the item we want is delivered to us within seconds of placing the order over the phone. And yes, this sector is a source of livelihood to many. Karnataka leads with the highest employee distribution (20 per cent), followed by Maharashtra (19 per cent) and Telangana (13 per cent), highlighting these states as major hiring hubs in the q-commerce space due to their high population density, tech-savvy consumers, and robust infrastructure which facilitates fast deliveries. States such as Haryana and West Bengal show very little presence at four per cent each. That means workforce penetration is rather low in these states.
The data is obtained from the ‘TeamLease Q-commerce Report: A Staffing Perspective’.
Q-commerce or quick commerce, is also e-commerce but with focus on ultra-fast delivery. We are talking about minutes or hours and not days as is characteristic of e-commerce. Therefore, q-commerce targets small orders such as groceries, essentials and other items.
The organised retail sector has shown some progress in promoting gender diversity, with women making up about 25–30 per cent of its workforce. However, the q-commerce sector, in contrast, has only eight per cent women in its contractual workforce. Clearly, more focus is required to improve gender balance in the expanding q-commerce industry. With focus on last-mile delivery and operations, this sector is still not leveraging the potential of women workers fully.
Those in the age 25 to 26 age bracket are more aligned with the fast-paced nature of q-commerce operations, as the work demands high levels of energy and adaptability.
The roles in q-commerce are contractual or temporary, lasting about six months. Such short tenures are more prevalent during the festive season, spread over a period of six months—generally, July to December. With demand spiking during this season, seasonal employees are hired to deal with the sudden workload.
After the season concludes, most of the associates quit, which is why shorter tenures are common.
A whopping 71 per cent of the workforce consists of youngsters who have either just passed Class 10 or 12. Since these entry-level roles do not require special skills, youngsters with a smartphone and driving license, who can read English and ride a two-wheeler can easily get a job, earn for a season and leave.
The annual attrition rate is 183 per cent in the South zone. This is due to the intense competition and dynamic hiring trends in the q-commerce industry. The second highest attrition is seen in the West zone, at 142 per cent annually, while the North zone comes in third with 122 per cent and East has the lowest attrition rate of 112 per cent.
The high attrition can also be attributed to the roles being unclear. Add to this the operational challenges, such as shifts and lack of an organised approach and rampant poaching. Individuals will switch to another job even if they get a raise of Rs 500 in pay.
The active workers in the metros are able to earn more than Rs 22,000, while inactive ones make about Rs 20,000. In tier 1, the active workers earn over 20,000 while inactive workers earn over Rs 18,000. In tier 2 and below cities, the active workers earn about Rs 20,200 while inactive workers earn 18,500.
Is q-commerce more stable as a sector than e-commerce?
In e-commerce, which largely caters to discretionary purchases, headcount growth peaked at 23 per cent in August, due to preparations for the festive season. Hiring went up six per cent in June and up to 23 per cent in August because companies geared up for the expected demand surge.
Hiring in the e-commerce space remains unstable and driven by events, while it remains more stable in q-commerce primarily because of the nature of products it deals with. During peak seasons or periods, e-commerce makes do with temporary workers whereas the quick commerce space tries to form a more consistent workforce through the year.
Q-commerce experiences stable growth throughout the year, with fluctuations limited to the bare minimum because it deals in essential goods. Therefore, the hiring strategy is also predictable so that operations continue uninterrupted without any sudden disruptions.
The hiring growth was at a peak in December 2024 at 22 per cent, reflecting how aggressively firms have been expanding in the q-commerce space thanks to many benefiting from fresh funding.