Labour challenges of food delivery service workers in Metro Vancouver

The rise of food delivery services such as SkipTheDishes and UberEats has become a major trend in Metro Vancouver and other cities around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic with more people stuck at home, there has been a surge in demand for food delivery services during the days of social-distancing and the temporary closure of indoor dining options.

While food delivery platforms have become a routine part of life for many in Metro Vancouver, food delivery workers are facing challenges to make a living wage, secure regular work, and gain basic employee benefits. On top of this, they are now part of the frontline workforce at risk of catching COVID-19.

This past spring, Communication and Labour Studies students in CMNS 440: Labour, Communication and the Media, led by School of Communication associate professor Enda Brophy, conducted a research project reviewing the experiences and labour conditions of food delivery platform workers in Metro Vancouver.

The research projects found food delivery platform workers do not see these apps as a feasible source of securing a living wage. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, food delivery platform workers find themselves on the frontlines as essential workers at risk of catching COVID-19 without extra pay or benefits.   

You can read the full report here: Food Delivery Platform Work and the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Metro Vancouver Regional District

As research for this report was in progress, the COVID-19 pandemic spread through British Columbia and Canada and transformed both food delivery platform work and working conditions.