# Gig hiring surges in smaller towns but pay gap stays at 25-30% 2026-08-22T04:27:40+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets India Inc is looking to smaller towns for festive season hiring, with gig and blue-collar demand rising sharply, Livemint reports. However, a significant pay divide persists: workers in smaller towns earn 25-30% less than those in metros, down from a 38-40% gap in 2022, according to Quess Corp CEO Nitin Dave. The Economic Times adds that temporary hiring demand in tier II and III cities is growing at roughly twice the pace of metros, at 20-25% year-on-year compared to 8-10% in metros. Companies cite a shrinking worker supply in smaller towns due to migration to larger cities or overseas, making hiring harder. Delivery partners in smaller towns complete fewer deliveries per shift due to lower order density, further affecting earnings. The festive season, spanning August to December, is crucial as consumers have tightened spending amid economic uncertainties. Staffing firms expect this trend to continue, with Quess projecting the share of tier II and III markets in festive flexi hiring to rise from 42% in 2022 to 53% by 2026. Key hiring hubs include Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Indore. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both Livemint and the Economic Times report the same core trend but frame it differently. Livemint leads with the persistent pay gap, using specific percentages and worker-side quotes to highlight inequality. The Economic Times leads with growth rates, emphasising the business opportunity and expansion into smaller markets, with quotes from company executives. Neither outlet is critical of government policy, the story is about market dynamics. The pro-business framing in the Economic Times downplays the wage disparity, while Livemint gives it equal weight. A careful reader should note that the gap is narrowing but remains substantial, and the growth in tier II/III hiring does not automatically mean fairer wages. Watch for the actual festive season employment data and whether the gap narrows further by December 2025. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - livemint.com (neutral report) Leads with pay disparity and worker challenges, uses data and multiple sources - hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with growth rates and business expansion, quotes industry executives This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-24T13:35:48+00:00. Tags: Apna.Co, Quess Corp, TeamLease Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/festive-gig-hiring-surges-in-small-towns-pay-gap-persists/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/festive-gig-hiring-surges-in-small-towns-pay-gap-persists/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/