Gig Workers Are Experiencing More Than 25% Increase In Work At Essential Businesses

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wonolo, the leading platform disrupting the temporary staffing industry, today launched an economic indicator to help businesses and workers identify bright spots in the U.S. economy.

The Essential Business Growth Indicator shows that since just before the U.S declared COVID-19 a public health emergency on January 31¹ to April 1:

• Gig workers continue to be a lifeline for essential businesses – the amount of hours they're working at essential businesses are up more than 25%
• Markets like New Jersey have experienced essential businesses growth of about 300%
• People are increasingly turning to gig work amid layoffs prompted by COVID-19; we've seen a nearly 10% increase in workers saying they signed up for our platform because they lost their job

"COVID-19 has disrupted all aspects of our lives, and is prompting economic anxiety for workers across the U.S., but we are still seeing opportunities for people to find good-paying work during these challenging times," said Yong Kim, Cofounder and CEO of Wonolo. "We continue to be encouraged by how workers and businesses using our platform are able to do so safely while providing a much-needed service to the U.S. economy."

The indicator is the first of its kind to offer insight into how gig workers are stepping up to provide essential services to help power the U.S. economy amid COVID-19. It is driven by data from Wonolo's platform and includes an analysis of more than 40,000 shifts, representing hundreds of thousands of hours worked, at essential businesses across the country. Click here to see the economic indicator. 

Separately, Wonolo is connecting businesses with safety associates who can help workers and businesses stay safe amid COVID-19.  These safety associates can assist businesses by helping screen on-site workers in accordance with public health guidelines. To qualify as a safety associate, the individuals will have to earn a badge demonstrating their deep familiarity with  information about COVID-19 as well as safety and hygiene recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This new badge builds on Wonolo's other efforts to keep workers and businesses safe during the pandemic.

Here's What Wonolo Is Doing to Keep Workers and Businesses Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic

• Mandatory Workplace Hygiene Protocol: We developed and released a new Healthy Workplace Hygiene Badge on our mobile app to make sure Wonoloers understand what they must do to keep themselves and your business safe. We have earmarked this as a mandatory requirement - i.e., unless you'd like it switched off, all Wonoloers will have to earn this badge prior to accepting any jobs you post. It's built using the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and includes recommendations for washing your hands, what to do if you have symptoms, and where to turn for more information.
• Flex Time Off: We have expanded and made retroactive our paid Flex Time Off program. This program allows Wonoloers to avoid choosing between their health or their earnings by giving them the time they need to go to the doctor or stay at home if they are feeling ill.
• COVID-19 Coverage: We will pay Wonoloers for up to 14 days of quarantine if they have COVID-19 to encourage them to stay home. While no Wonoloer that we're aware of has been diagnosed with COVID-19, we are prepared.
• Prevention: Once we learn that a Wonoloer has a COVID-19 diagnosis, we will prevent that Wonoloer from accepting jobs on Wonolo and inform all businesses the Wonoloer has worked for in the past two weeks.
• Real-Time Information Sharing: We are regularly sharing with Wonoloers the latest information from the CDC and other government agencies. And we are monitoring shelter-in-place orders and will work with businesses like yours to comply with those orders.

About Wonolo

Wonolo is an online platform that connects workers – or "Wonoloers" – to retail, e-commerce, distribution, fulfillment, and other types of blue collar, frontline jobs across the U.S. Founded in 2014, Wonolo now serves over 500,000 gig workers, providing them access to job opportunities across the nation. These "Work Now Locally" opportunities vary widely, from customer service, delivery, and event staffing to food production, warehousing, and manufacturing. At Wonolo, we are Making Work, Work™.

Wonolo has 150 employees, including in their San Francisco and Nashville headquarters, serving workers and companies across the country.

Contact
Jared Favole, Wonolo
[email protected]

¹ https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/01/31/secretary-azar-declares-public-health-emergency-us-2019-novel-coronavirus.html

SOURCE Wonolo Inc.

Related Links

wonolo.com