Swiggy has partnered with Apna, a professional networking and job search platform, to create 10,000 new hyperlocal employment opportunities in deeper Bharat for its Instamart quick commerce grocery service in 2023. This move comes as a response to the significant growth and evolution of the e-commerce industry in India, which has led to an increased demand for delivery personnel throughout the country.
According to industry reports, the delivery workforce is projected to reach 23.5 million by 2029-30. Swiggy’s collaboration with apna aims to strengthen its delivery workforce in tier 2 cities and enhance its delivery services to better serve customers in the region.
The Indian economy has been growing post-pandemic, driven largely by the increasing demand from the burgeoning workforce. Delivery partners are among the most sought-after roles in the new-age workforce, with quick commerce companies aggressively hiring them to meet the surging demand from consumers. As per RedSeer, the quick commerce sector is expected to reach USD 5.5 billion by 2025, a significant increase from USD 0.3 billion in 2021. This rapid growth is likely to create a greater demand for delivery personnel from companies operating in this domain.
For many organizations, acquiring talent from tier 2 and 3 cities has been a daunting task due to numerous challenges, such as lack of industry knowledge, experience, orientation, and market awareness. In India, this problem has been particularly acute, as companies have struggled to attract talent from smaller towns and cities. However, Apna has been helping employers across the country, from SMBs to large enterprises, find the right talent, especially in tier 2 cities and beyond. The company has developed a strong network in these areas, making it easier for organizations to connect with the right talent. The recent partnership between apna and Swiggy is a testament to the effectiveness of this approach.
The year 2022 saw a remarkable surge in applications for delivery roles on the platform, with over 1.5 million users from tier 2, tier 3 cities, and beyond applying for 3 million positions. These users contributed to nearly 70% of the growth in new users in the delivery segment.
Commenting on their partnership, Nirmit Parikh, Founder and CEO, Apna said, “We are delighted to partner with Swiggy as it shares our mission of empowering people to attain financial independence and become self-sufficient. With opportunities for delivery partners emerging in deeper pockets of the country, we aim to bridge the demand-supply gap for Swiggy and generate more job opportunities in the coming months.”
Kedar Gokhale, VP, Operations at Swiggy said, “Delivery partners are the backbone of Swiggy, and help us jointly serve millions of users across food, quick commerce and other services. Given Swiggy presence across 500 cities for food delivery and over 25 cities for Instamart, we continue to focus on onboarding partners from tier 2 and 3 cities. The partnership with apna has helped in augmenting our delivery fleet to cater to the growing demand on Instamart in smaller cities. We’re glad that it is creating more income opportunities for delivery personnel and contributing to the growth of the economy.”