Uber Eats creating jobs, but still needs to lift its game

Uber Eats generated 60,000 jobs in Australia during the pandemic last year, with drivers earning over $20 per hour after costs.

Those statistics were released in a report by Accenture on Monday, which highlights the benefits of Uber Eat’s flexible work benefits.

Uber Eats is a home delivery service accessed by consumers through the Uber Eats app.

The report found that “as dining at restaurants no longer become an option (during the pandemic) consumer spending on food delivery services was quick to take its place.’

“Consumer spending on food delivery is now three times more than before the pandemic started.

“During this time, spending at restaurants has also returned to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that delivery platforms are here to stay.”

The report also shows that last year, Uber Eats generated more than eight times the number of jobs available since they began operating in Australia in 2016, with approximately 77 per cent of the workers ineligible for federal government support due to their visa status.

The 'Making Delivery Work for Everyone' report shows that Uber Eats workers were after more dependable earnings.

It also shows that customer support for delivery drivers and responsiveness to feedback on Uber Eats is in need of improvement with 29 per cent saying the customer support experience wasn’t very good.

Accenture compiled its data using Uber Eats and bespoke survey data. This included 9,389 Uber Eats workers, along with publicly available data such as the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey.

Irit Jackson, 7th April 2021