Flipkart To Employ 70,000 In Supply Chain Operations This Year

Flipkart said on Tuesday that it will create nearly 70,000 direct jobs in its supply chain this year, as the country gears up for the upcoming festive season. In a statement, the e-commerce major said its Big Billion Days festive sale will create direct job opportunities across its supply chain, and also generate lakhs of indirect jobs, including seller locations, kiranas, delivery partners, security and freight partners. US-based Walmart-owned Flipkart's Big Billion Days limited-period sale usually starts around October, aimed at the country's festive season.

The complexity and scale of Big Billion Days requires investments for capacity, storage, sorting, packaging, human resources, training and delivery, which helps generate additional employment during the festive season, Flipkart said. 

The on-boarding of over 50,000 small grocery stores, also known as kiranas, for last-mile delivery will also generate thousands of seasonal jobs to deliver millions of packages during the festive season, the e-tailer said. 

"Flipkart understands the importance of festivities in the lives of our consumers and ecosystem partners. We are focused on creating impactful partnerships that offer great consumer experience while creating additional opportunities for progress of the entire ecosystem as it scales for the Big Billion Days," said Amitesh Jha, senior vice president-Ekart and marketplace, Flipkart.

"By generating employment and enabling our sellers to scale their businesses during this time, we're doing our part to drive growth in the industry and the economy," he added.

The company also said it is conducting training programs for its direct hires in supply chain, including the aspects of customer service, delivery, installation, safety and sanitisation. Flipkart asserted the training will help impart future-ready skills for the participating workforce. 

This month, Flipkart rolled out an online wholesale service, Flipkart Wholesale, for mom-and-pop stores and other small businesses.