India's e-commerce, quick commerce hiring grows 35% in 2 years
What's the story
India's e-commerce and quick commerce sectors are witnessing a major shift in their hiring strategies. According to a report by CIEL HR, the demand for talent in these industries has increased by 35%. The number of roles grew from around 73,000 in 2023 to nearly 99,000 by 2025. This change marks a transition from expansion-led recruitment to building deeper capabilities like platform resilience and AI-enabled customer experience.
Talent priorities
Technology roles see threefold demand surge
The report highlights a threefold increase in demand for technology and engineering roles over the past two years. Positions like Software Development Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Solution Architects, and AI/ML Engineers are now at the top of talent priorities. This is because digital commerce players are investing heavily in recommendation engines, chatbots, warehouse automation systems (WMS), payment architectures, and platform stability to enhance their services.
Revenue growth
Operational hiring remains crucial for revenue growth
Despite the focus on digital capabilities, operational hiring continues to play a crucial role in driving revenue growth. The demand for supply chain and fulfillment roles has grown by 25% during the same period. Positions like Warehouse Managers, Fulfillment Planners, City Operations Leads, Inventory Controllers and Supply Chain Executives are now at the center of this growth story. This is especially true as quick commerce expands its footprint in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India.
Salary trends
Compensation premiums for advanced digital capabilities
The report also notes a clear compensation premium for advanced digital capabilities. AI and machine learning specialists are earning 30-40% more than traditional tech roles, while GenAI and LLM specialists command premiums of 15-20%. Senior professionals in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and computer vision with around five years of experience are now earning up to ₹50 lakh annually. This shows that specialized digital talent is becoming one of the most strategically priced capability pools in Indian commerce.