FOODPANDA riders work 12 hours a day, come rain, shine and recently, choking smog. But you won’t hear them complain because they are well compensated for their pains. In fact, most of them will tell you they earning more now than they did in their previous corporate jobs.

Delivering food is one of the more popular jobs in the “gig economy”, as temporary work arrangements have come to be known. The riders told The Malaysian Insight, they have little time for anything else if they want to earn a decent wage to cope with the cost of living.

To earn RM4,000 and up to RM7,000, they have to work for more than 12 hours a day.

This hasn’t deterred 25-year-old Nur Istikarah Ahmad, who said she is making double what she made formerly as a marketing officer.

“I have been delivering for Foodpanda for six months now. How much I earn depends on how hard I work. In a month, I can earn between RM5,500 and RM6,000.

“Previously, as a marketing officer for a company, my monthly salary was just RM3,500. I’m definitely earning more working for Foodpanda,” the biotechnology graduate told The Malaysian Insight.

Foodpanda, which has some 12,000 freelance riders across Malaysia, is in the spotlight after a brief strike by its riders on Monday over a new payment scheme.

The scheme pays the rider by per delivery instead of by the hour. Under the new scheme, they are paid more at RM3-5 per delivery, compared with RM4 per hour previously. Riders also get a RM100 incentive if they work 60 hours a week and an extra RM1 per order for orders between 11pm and 9am.

The riders, however, are protesting the new scheme, however, because they said they earned more when they were paid by the hour.

“I go to work around 10am and finish around 2am. I’m working more than 12 hours. It’s not difficult work but it is tiring and unpredictable because of the weather. Scorching heat and pouring rain, it’s become part of the job,” Nur Istikarah said.

For 41-year-old Sabri Abdul Talib, who drove a lorry for 20 years, delivering food has enabled him to better meet his financial commitments.

Working 13 hours a day from noon to 1am, the father of two said he is able to provide for his family.

“My monthly household expenses plus some debts come to about RM2,000 a month. I have to bear all of it as my wife does not work and we have two children. At least we have some money left over for other basic expenses and debts,” he said.

“You just have to accept the long hours and brave the weather because the customers are not going to wait a long time for their food.”

Such gigs are increasingly popular as noted by the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), which said  jobs in the “informal sector”, which includes freelancing, have grown faster at a rate of 31% compared with traditional, formal sector jobs, The Malaysian Insight reported previously.

The government also sees such new, online-based jobs such as offered Indonesia’s Go-Jek, as a way to provide employment, in the face o  concerns that Malaysia isn’t creating enough high-skilled jobs to match the talent produced by the local universities.

The situation has resulted in high numbers of unemployed graduates who end up as food delivery riders or e-hailing riders.

While experts are concerned about its implications for Malaysia and Industry 4.0, people like 25-year-old Izakrie Mohd Sapri have a shorter-term goal: to save enough money to start a family.
Izakrie, who is only equipped with SPM qualification, has worked for Foodpanda for four years but said it is still difficult to save as the cost of city living soars.

“I may not have a family yet but I’m already shouldering a lot. I have to give my parents money from whatever I earn. I try to save the rest as I plan to have my own family some day. It is hard work,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He left his former job at a supermarket for Foodpanda’s flexible working hours and better pay.

“I have to spend about RM100 to RM200 some months for motorcycle repairs, and to cover petrol. But it’s not difficult work.” – October 2, 2019.