Wolt in Hungary exposed: Is the food delivery sector really filled with guest workers?
Picture this: You’ve ordered dinner on an app, and the courier who delivered your food didn’t know Hungarian or even English. No worries, you managed to communicate with an “enjoy” and “thank you”. You might have had a similar experience before with Wolt in Hungary. Indeed, it’s a common impression that there are a lot of foreigners among the delivery people in the country. Let’s delve into this claim below.
Világgazdaság.hu asked the Wolt courier company whether they employ guest workers and, if so, what the ratio of foreign and Hungarian workers among their delivery people is. The company responded to the news site’s questions in writing.
Wolt in Hungary emphasised that anyone can be a food courier who lives in the country and that they do not keep records of their employees’ countries of origin. The company currently has contracts with more than 8,000 active courier partners on a monthly basis.
Are there many foreign couriers employed by Wolt in Hungary? – The company responds
First and foremost, Wolt in Hungary pointed out that since the couriers are not employees of the company, but delivery partners with a service contract, we cannot talk about the employment of guest workers in their case. Couriers contract with the company as sole proprietors, through cooperatives (e.g. a student organisation) or through a fleet partner.
As Wolt in Hungary explained, “Courier companies are often associated with foreigners, as it is easier to spot them on the street or meet them when they deliver our orders.”
At the same time, the company highlights that they do not ask for information regarding one’s nationality when hiring couriers, as “Neither [their] system nor [the] company’s mentality allows any kind of negative or positive discrimination – regardless of gender, age, work membership form or country of origin.”
In response to the questions from Világgazdaság, however, they wrote that overall their experiences with workers who are not Hungarian have been positive and that they are constantly monitoring customer feedback to ensure that there are no complaints about the speed or manner of deliveries.
Why is working as a courier a great source of income for some?
At the same time, there are several reasons why becoming Wolt couriers in Hungary might be an attractive prospect for workers from foreign countries.
As Wolt in Hungary explains, the cost of entry for the job is relatively low: it is enough if the applicant has a bicycle, as knowledge of the Hungarian language is not necessary. In addition, working hours are extremely flexible. Couriers can undertake the delivery of as many orders as they wish whenever they have some free time. For example, there are contractors at the company who run errands for 1 hour every two weeks or every month.
This allows Wolt couriers in Hungary to study or have full-time jobs and take on delivery as a source of extra income on the side.
The company also highlights this possibility: “Regardless of nationality, courier partners in many cases regard delivery services as an opportunity to earn an additional income,” often as a short-term solution for financial troubles.
Világgazdaság also wanted to know how Wolt in Hungary finds foreign workers and what proportion of the total number of couriers they make up, as well as how much customer demand the company has, how many sales it closed last year and this year and what its expectations are regarding price increases in the coming months. However, these questions were not answered.
Read also:
Guest workers: new law may simplify Chinese and Russian immigration to Hungary – Read the story HERE
Will food delivery couriers disappear from Hungary due to drone delivery? – Read more HERE
Source: Világgazdaság