The first government survey on delivery workers has been criticised by a concern group for neglecting ethnic minority workers.
According to the Census and Statistics Department’s survey on food delivery workers published on Tuesday, around 65 per cent – or nearly two-thirds – of the respondents said delivering food and goods ordered on digital platforms was their main source of income.
Around 35 per cent of those surveyed earned less than HK$5,000 a month, while 37 per cent made more than HK$15,000.
However, Justine Lam of the Riders’ Rights Concern Group said that the survey had neglected ethnic minority workers, who comprised a sizeable share of food delivery workers.
She also said that the report had not analysed the relationship between findings such as working hours and income.
“We believe that the overall survey was quite general and sloppy,” Lam said during a radio programme on Wednesday.
Ethnic minority workers are “pillars of the industry” who tend to work full time, Lam said, voicing concerns that the survey results did not accurately reflect their working hours and salaries.
Underestimating the proportion of workers who rely on platform work to make a living could create the false impression that fewer, less rigorous regulations were needed, Lam told HKFP.
“These workers are basically full-time employees,” she said.
Under Hong Kong law, delivery workers are considered to be self-employed contractors and do not enjoy the same labour protections that full time employees do.
The government’s survey estimated there were 12,900 delivery workers in the city, without specifying the ethnic make-up.
It found that a quarter of the respondents worked more than 44 hours a week, while more than half worked less than that duration, and 28 per cent worked under 25 hours a week.
About 70 per cent only worked for a single delivery platform, and about 30 per cent worked for two or more companies.
More than half of the respondents were aged between 15 and 39, while about a quarter were above 50 years of age.
Legal protections ‘top priority’
Separately, the Labour Department also conducted an opinion survey on delivery workers last July, which found that nearly 38 per cent of the 1,984 respondents wanted enhanced compensation for work-related accidents, while more than half wanted better income stability.
More than 62 per cent wanted to prevent illegal workers from engaging in platform work.
On the radio programme, Lam agreed that legal protections for delivery workers were a top priority. Lawmakers and concern groups have previously expressed road safety concerns for delivery workers who might feel pressured to prioritise speed above all else.
“Take KeeTa for example. With their punctuality and order acceptance rate requirements, lots of delivery workers feel like they’re putting their lives on the line.”
KeeTa, which is part of Chinese retail giant Meituan, became the city’s leading food delivery platform last year as it took 44 per cent of the city’s food delivery market by order volume last May.
“Although you can say that it allows flexibility to sign on whenever you want, the app has all-encompassing control over the worker,” Lam said.
KeeTa’s requirements are also built into a “rewards” system that functionally cuts delivery workers’ wages, she added.
In the census department’s survey, more than 91 per cent of platform workers said they took up delivery work because of “its job nature,” such as work flexibility.
The two surveys will be discussed by the Legislative Council’s panel on manpower next Monday.
The Tuesday report came a week after Deliveroo said it was pulling out of the Hong Kong market next month. According to the concern group, the move may result in further labour exploitation owing to the food delivery duopoly it leaves behind.
Apart from Deliveroo, foodpanda and KeeTa are currently serving the local market.
