Uber is about to provide a lot more gig opportunities in Miami-Dade
Miami is known as an events town — but finding the right worker, at the right time, to staff one, can be a challenge.
Uber thinks it has the solution.
Uber Works is the latest service from the ride-hail giant. It connects qualified, pre-screened temporary workers to employers who need a job done in a pinch. The service formally launches Wednesday in Miami, its second market after Chicago.
“There’s a lot of demand for skilled workers, especially in entry level and hospitality sectors,” said Andrey Liscovich, CEO of Uber Works. “For us, this sector is not really new — we’ve been operating in a tight labor market, and it builds on strengths Uber already has” —namely, connecting individuals looking for work with on-demand gigs.
The difference: Instead of driving, the work found on Uber Works comprises virtually everything, from cooking to guest services.
How do employers know they can trust the workers — and vice versa? The same way you know to trust your Uber driver: the number of stars they’ve earned.
“For us, the feedback signal is in the rating,” Liscovich said.
And how’s the pay? Uber says there’s a range of wages, usually ranging from around $11 an hour to $16 an hour, plus potential additional incentive pay in periods of high demand. Businesses partnering with Uber Works contract and agree to pay a fee to fill a vacant role. At the same time, Uber Works advertises pay rates to workers interested in shifts. The margin Uber Works makes is derived from the fees it collects on the business contract; these margins are generally in line with the staffing industry.
“We are not competing on price,” the company says. “Our focus is reliability and service.”
The company soft-launched in Miami-Dade last week during Miami Art Week. Among those who used the service were Jamila Ross and Akino West, co-owners of the Copper Door Bed and Breakfast in Overtown. They needed to staff a cocktail party and turned to the platform.
“Trying to find good help in Miami can sometimes be kind of difficult,” West said. “And it can take time to prep a team and make sure they’re here on time.”
Uber Works solved each of those issues, he said. They ended up hiring four staffers on a temporary basis, ones that required little to no new training.
“It worked really, really well,” Ross said.
Gig work has become common over the past decade. While Uber has faced legal rebukes for not treating its workers as full-time employees, Uber Works shows the company not only believes it can continue to facilitate this kind of labor, but also that the entire temp industry is ripe for disruption.
“Workers face rigid scheduling and opaque information about where they can pick up shifts and how much they can expect to earn,“ the company said in a statement. “Businesses struggle to staff up to meet peak demand, and have to grapple with missed shifts and high turnover.”
The company also worked with the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis as it set up its Magic City launch.
“Florida embraces innovation and disruption,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I welcome Uber Works to our state, especially to a thriving urban center like Miami, where there are numerous opportunities to connect entrepreneurs, businesses and workers, through temporary employment opportunities that add to personal advancement and economic growth for our residents.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
