New Delhi, July 22 -- An early onset of festivals, unsold stocks from a short summer, and some extra cash in shoppers' pockets - A set of factors have conspired to trigger a robust hiring season of temporary workers, just before the year's bumper shopping season.

Consumer, e-commerce, and logistics firms are putting together a platoon of temporary and last-mile delivery workforce, hoping to meet the surge in demand in the upcoming season of festivals. A short summer that led to an inventory pile-up in the season-special white goods, an early onset of the festival season, wider access to online shopping, and the assumption that consumers will have a little more cash in hand due to tax savings are all leading to a 20% year-on-year rise in ...