Food couriers in Malta can earn up to half what they originally make from deliveries when employed by a recruitment agency.

However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Speaking to Lovin Malta, one recruitment agency claimed that, on average, couriers make €3,000 per month. This means they will pocket €1,500 at the end of the month and will receive €150 for fuel allowance.

“We also provide the bike, gear and buy new helmets for every new driver. We also take care of the service of the bike,” a recruitment agency spokesperson said.

“The ten highest earners of the month are also given a bonus between €150 to €200,” a fleet manager told Lovin Malta.

A big segment of the food delivery workforce is composed of third-country nationals who come to the country with nothing but a passport in hand.

That, combined with the fact that they are considered non-employees due to the freelance model that forms the foundation of food delivery services such as Wolt and Bolt, means that many drivers gravitate towards recruitment companies to provide them with the means for them to work.

This model came into question last week when Bolt readjusted its rates in light of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19, causing some unrest amongst its drivers.

“We were willing to give our drivers something back from our pockets. In our eyes it wasn’t right, we were going to give them an extra allowance,” the fleet manager continued.

Another grey area when it comes with the food delivery world is whether gig workers are licensed properly, given that there have been numerous accidents involving drivers over the past few months.

“They come on an international license which is valid for one year in Malta. We make sure that within that year they get their Maltese license and we pay for it,” the fleet manager said.

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