The Hindu Business Line : Rising footfalls in malls trigger demand for temporary staff

In a country that is in the midst of a mall boom, it is not only real estate developers and construction companies who are working overtime. The temporary staffing industry too is on an overdrive.

Keeping them on their toes is the anticipation of the busy summer months ahead, when the sharp increase in footfalls in malls throws up additional manpower requirements.

"The summer holidays, soaring temperature, coupled with movie releases, will see more consumers making a beeline for speciality stores, food-courts, retail outlets and movie theatres, most of which are located in the air-conditioned malls.

"This triggers off a demand for frontline staff, counter sales professionals, back office resources, support and logistics staffers," said Ms Rituparna Chakraborty, Vice-President, TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd, a staffing company and player in the temping industry.

TeamLease — which currently employs 45,000 people across the country — has so far deployed up to 600-800 candidates as temporary staffers across malls in Bangalore, National Capital Region and Ahmedabad. It expects to double the number in the next six months, with demand projected from other cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. "The demand for extra hands is coming from mall management and retail companies," she said, anticipating a surge in demand between May and July.

Footfalls may rise

According to Mr Abhijit Das, head of Ansal Plaza Mall Management Company, footfalls in malls could go up by 8-9 per cent between May and June, and incremental sales by up to 15 per cent across major categories including apparel, accessories, low-end fashion and jewellery.

"February to April marks the lean period, when students and families keep away from malls due to examinations. However, from May onwards malls witness additional footfalls, with sales driven by teenagers and college students," he said.

To cater to the demand, the company has forged alliances with colleges and facilitates part-time candidates for hiring by mall occupants.

According to industry observers, as much as 750 lakh square feet of retail space is currently under development in India.

"With back of the envelope calculations showing that every 150 square feet requires deployment of one person, the industry could be looking at a demand for a staggering five lakh employees, both permanent and temporary," they said.

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