Fast deliveries, uneven pay: Hiring surge and pay divide in the quick-commerce economy
The quick commerce boom is creating jobs across the board. But while tech talent sees soaring salaries, gig workers still grapple with low, inconsistent pay.
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With the explosive growth in India's quick commerce sector, shaped by shifting consumer expectations, digital acceleration, and the growing need for convenience, job opportunities have also expanded for both white-collar and blue-collar workers. India's big-3 quick commerce players- Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart have accelerated the hiring of blue, grey, and white-collar professionals within the unique structure of their operating models. Besides, the three dominant players in the 10-minute delivery businesses offer competitive salaries respective to different roles.
'Quick commerce sector salary & benefits'
Blue-collar jobs
Frontline workers engaged in delivery roles are typically referred to as gig or contract-based workers, who fall under blue-collar employment. The concept of 'fair wage' or 'minimum wage' is elusive for gig workers across all three platforms.
Balaji Parthasarathy, a professor at the International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore, says all leading quick commerce players have refused to offer an hourly minimum wage after cost to their workers.
"Since gig workers' wages are based on the number of deliveries they undertook during a day, their take-home earnings may fall below the local minimum wage," he added, "In order to earn incentives from the delivery, the working hours exceeds the statutory regulations".
Notably, Eternal-owned Blinkit claims to have a fair work culture for its delivery partners. According to the company's website, a delivery executive can earn up to Rs 50,000 a month with incentives and other benefits. Besides, the platform has also given 'flexible' working hours wherein the worker can choose to work for 4,8 or 10 hours a day. Blinkit pays on a weekly basis to its delivery executive.
On the other hand, Zepto mentioned that its delivery associate can earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 per month. The incentives are awarded based on the 'number of deliveries completed, customer feedback, and adherence to delivery timelines'. Additional bonuses are available during peak hours or special promotions, Zepto stated.
Swiggy delivery partner's monthly earnings may go up to Rs 30,000, the company stated on its website. The food to grocery delivery platform added that it provides insurance up to Rs 12 lakh to the delivery partner and his family, a skill development program, vehicle maintenance support, and easy personal loans.
White-collar jobs
The salary of white-collar workers, which includes professional and managerial roles, varies based on tech and non-tech roles. Apart from offering defined career path, white-collar jobs also offer compensation structures that align with demands of high-performance environments, including ESOPs, insurance, and other benefits, Surinder Bhagat, Founder and CEO at Gigin AI said.
Job platform foundit's Anupama Bhimrajka, VP of Marketing exclusively told Storyboard18 that a fresher with tech roles commands a 30-50% premium over non-tech positions at quick commerce platforms.
"For engineering graduates (tech roles), base salaries at these firms range between Rs 8-20 Lakh per annum (LPA), with Zepto leading the pack due to its aggressive hiring from IITs and top tech schools—offering Rs 15-25 LPA for specialized roles in AI, backend development, and logistics optimization. Blinkit, provides Rs 10-18 LPA for similar roles, while Instamart (Swiggy) leans toward Rs8-15 LPA, with additional ESOPs and performance bonuses (10-20% of Cost to company) in early-stage startups like Zepto," Bhimrajka said.
In non-tech roles—such as operations, category management, and marketing — salaries are more modest, averaging Rs 4-10 LPA.
According to Bhimrajka, Blinkit and Instamart offer slightly higher base pay (Rs 5-12 LPA) to non-tech employees due to their scaled operations. In contrast, Zepto tends to start at Rs 4-8 LPA for operations associates, with MBA graduates earning 15-25% more in category management roles.
(Source: Foundit)
However, Bhagat envisages that quick commerce firms' engagement with their frontline and full-time professionals will evolve with time. He added, "We believe that the focus will continue to shift towards more transparent, technology-enabled, and inclusive workforce model".
