Flipkart to hire up to 30% more people this year, says COO
Flipkart is looking to hire up to 30% more people in 2017 compared to last year, according to homegrown e-commerce major's Chief Operating Officer Nitin Seth. Flipkart reportedly hired about 1,500 people last year and 10,000 temporary staffers for logistics. According to research firm RedSeer, the Indian e-commerce industry witnessed a 12% growth in 2016 compared to 180% in 2015.
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) E-commerce major Flipkart is looking to hire 20-30 per cent more people in 2017 compared to last year even as rival Snapdeal hands out pink slips to its employees. The Bengaluru-based firm, which is locked in an intense battle with the US-based Amazon for leadership in the Indian market, will hire most laterals this year. "Our 2017 hiring plans are calibrated to the growth momentum we are seeing and we expect it to be somewhere around 20% to 30% higher than last year, spread out as per requirements across verticals," Flipkart COO Nitin Seth told PTI. He added that a majority of this will likely come in through the lateral route. "We believe this offers us the right mix of talent needed to power the next phase of growth at Flipkart," he said. Seth, however, declined to comment on the hiring number this year or in the previous year. According to sources, Flipkart hired about 1,500 people last year. Besides, it hired about 10,000 temporary staffers, mostly in logistics, ahead of festive sales to ensure it can meet the huge jump in demand. According to research firm RedSeer, the Indian e-tailing industry expanded by a merely 12 per cent in 2016 to clock revenues of USD 14.5 billion compared to a whopping 180 per cent growth in 2015. With raising of fresh funds becoming difficult and markdown in valuations, many of these technology-led businesses are being forced to pare down workforce or shut businesses. 