At Uber, we believe that gig workers shouldn’t have to choose between flexibility and security. 

To ensure this vision, it is important that sector-wide requirements for platform companies protect independent work, while also providing benefits and standards that earners tell us are important.

It’s also critical that gig workers have a voice in shaping the future of platform work. That’s why we recently commissioned research – compiled by global independent research firm Ipsos – to better understand the views of driver and delivery partners earning via the Uber app. 

The research, released today, found that an overwhelming majority of driver and delivery partners believe policy decision makers should listen to their views when considering changes that impact how they work, which include protecting the flexibility they desire while also providing access to other minimum standards and benefits to improve independent work.

High level findings from the Ipsos research indicated that (findings can be found here):

  • Flexibility is crucial to rideshare and delivery drivers: More than 9-in-10 (91%) driver and delivery partners say they would not keep driving or delivering if it didn’t offer flexibility.
  • Drivers want policymakers to preserve flexibility: More than 9-in-10 (93%) driver and delivery partners want any changes to laws regarding app-based driving and delivering to protect their flexibility.
  • Drivers prefer to be independent: Two-thirds (66%) of driver and delivery partners prefer independent contractor status over employee status.
  • Drivers want flexibility and benefits: The majority of driver and delivery partners (82%) support a proposal that would combine the flexibility of being an independent contractor with some benefits and protections typically associated with being an employee. 

Uber supports a collaborative approach to policy reform which acknowledges the importance of the gig economy to hundreds of thousands of Australian workers, as well as the unique attributes of this industry.

We are committed to working with Governments, driver and delivery partners, and key stakeholders in the industry to ensure that we continue to raise the bar for Australia’s gig economy, and that any reform solutions put gig workers at its core.