Zomato parent Eternal's headcount doubles to almost 16,400 in FY25
What's the story
Eternal, the parent firm of Zomato and Blinkit, has seen its employee count more than double to 16,375 in FY25. The growth was mainly driven by expansion in its quick-commerce and going-out business segments. The increase was also fueled by the integration of employees from Eternal's recently acquired entertainment ticketing business. In comparison, Tata Consumer Products, one of India's fastest-growing large FMCG companies, had 10,595 employees at the end of FY25.
Cost increase
Employee benefit expenses jump to ₹2,558cr
Eternal's expanding workforce has resulted in a massive 54% year-on-year increase in employee benefit expenses, which now stand at ₹2,558 crore for FY25. The company's annual report attributes this rise mainly to higher salaries, and share-based payments. Notably, share-based payments alone have seen a whopping 55% jump to ₹798 crore during the same period.
Pay disparity
Average pay has actually gone down
Despite the overall increase in employee costs, the average pay has actually gone down. This is mainly due to a higher proportion of lower-salaried employees, especially in customer support and operations roles. The average salary for non-managerial employees has plunged by 23% on a standalone basis and 26% at the consolidated level during FY25.
Pay contrast
Independent directors' remuneration soars 4x
Interestingly, while the average staff salaries have dropped, independent directors' remuneration has soared four times to ₹1 crore in FY25 from ₹24 lakh last year. To note, Eternal's MD and CEO Deepinder Goyal has continued his trend of not taking a salary. He has waived it since April 1, 2021 and will continue to do so till March 23, 2026.
Employee turnover
Attrition rate jumps to 44%
Eternal has also witnessed a sharp rise in its attrition rate, which shot up to 44% in FY25 from 37% in FY24. The company has attributed this spike to employee transfers across its group companies and higher turnover rates for frontline roles. On a standalone basis, the number of permanent employees at Eternal grew significantly from 3,988 in FY24 to 6,903 in FY25.