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Kamala (name changed) delivered a cake in her first assignment with a food delivery platform. The 25-year-old Chennai resident says she is excited to take up her new job as a delivery executive. “I have two daughters and my husband owns an auto. I love riding a two-wheeler; delivering items will help me earn a few thousand rupees a month,” she says.
More and more women like Kamala are joining the last-mile delivery service, zipping through the streets on bikes to deliver food and other packages to customers across the city. The riders earn ₹10,000 a month on average, with additional income dependent on any extra trips they can manage each day.
‘Instant’ opportunity
With the boom in online business, especially the so-called quick commerce platforms that promise ‘instant’ delivery of groceries and other essentials, the demand for riders has been increasing by 15-20 per cent over the last three years. Of the estimated 10-12 lakh delivery riders across sectors like e-commerce, food delivery, and quick commerce, nearly 80,000 are women, says Yeshab Giri, Chief Commercial Officer, Operational Talent Solutions, at leading HR company Randstad India.
Though there is a huge gap between the number of male and female riders, hiring of women in the sector is increasing by 30-35 per cent every year due to the improved work culture, safety in operations, and higher compensation, Giri says.
To encourage more women to join the delivery workforce, companies are introducing safety measures such as live monitoring and self-defence training, besides skill training such as time management, management of fleet drivers, and conflict resolution, he says.
Challenges and perks
Women’s participation in the last-mile delivery segment increased by nearly 65 per cent in the last two years, says Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, Vice President and Business Head, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, another HR company. Today women comprise 15 per cent of the overall delivery workforce, he says.
However, the demanding nature of the job, including irregular schedules and physical strain , may dissuade more women from entering the field, he says. Gender biases, including pay disparity, cultural expectations, and familial pressures are added deterrents, he says.
Inclusion of women as last-mile delivery partners can serve as a catalyst for social and economic empowerment, Mahanta says. By enabling women to enter and thrive in the logistics workforce, companies are not only promoting gender equality but also driving economic growth and sustainability, he adds.
“With our female delivery partner onboarding programme, over 2,000 inspiring women leverage our platform to participate in, and earn from last-mile deliveries,” says Rakesh Ranjan, CEO, Food Delivery, Zomato.
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