Deliveroo claims to have created over 6,000 gig economy jobs in first four years of operation
Deliveroo has created over 6,000 jobs in the UK, according to a new study commissioned by the food delivery company as it reaches its fourth year since making its first delivery.
The company saw UK orders increase by 650 per cent in 2016 as it undertakes a rapid pace of expansion.
The company has created 6,300 jobs over the course of its existence, according to research by Capital Economics commissioned by Deliveroo, although the study gives no details of the average pay or hours worked in the jobs created.
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Deliveroo has been one of the firms in the so-called gig economy at the centre of controversies over the employment status of workers.
Deliveries are carried out by workers using their own equipment, which allows them to claim they are self-employed. Self-employed contractors are not entitled to holiday pay or the national living wage.
Deliveroo couriers have previously protested against changes to pay arrangements which, protesters said, reduced the amount they received below the legal minimum wage while. The company claimed at the time the new structure offered more “flexibility” to riders.
The changes have led to threats by some workers to launch legal action against the company. Similar cases have already been won by Uber drivers and plumbers employed by Pimlico Plumbers, while the government is investigating pay in the so-called gig economy.
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Deliveroo is headquartered in London but has expanded its model to 80 towns and cities in the UK, as well as another 50 cities around the world.
That growth drive has seen a heady pace of deals announced with restaurant brands, such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Wagamama, while also recently announcing a tie-up with beer giant Heineken to deliver alcohol.
The study also finds Deliveroo has generated £200m in revenue for restaurants in Britain.
Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of restaurant chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen, said Deliveroo had had “a positive impact in a number of areas of our business, including an increase in sales” which had “led to us employing more people right across our business.”