Wolt receives 27,000 courier applications as account rentals end

Wolt received more than 27,000 applications for courier accounts across Finland during a two-week recruitment drive, Yle reported. The company says it will not be able to offer a new account to everyone who applied.

From the start of August, only the person who owns a Wolt courier account can make deliveries. The account holder’s identity and right to work must be verified.

Previously, couriers were allowed to use substitutes. This led many Wolt drivers to pay former couriers hundreds of euros to rent their work accounts.

The recruitment drive was open to people who had previously been on a waiting list, former substitutes and new applicants. Wolt said the number of applications was higher than expected and reflected both the Finnish labour market situation and strong demand for flexible work.

About 20,000 people were already waiting for a Wolt courier account at the beginning of the year. Account holders also cannot directly transfer their accounts to people with whom they previously shared them. Wolt said this would be unfair to those who had waited in line and could encourage the sale of courier accounts.

Shortage of couriers at first

Wolt experienced a temporary shortage of delivery couriers last weekend, when the new policy came into force and fewer couriers were working. The company said this was expected and that it had signed new courier account agreements in July to prepare for the change.

Wolt uses both open-ended and fixed-term courier account agreements. New drivers will be allowed to start working in stages in different cities.

Change linked to upcoming legislation

Wolt said the policy change was prompted by two factors: the upcoming platform work law and legislation on alcohol home deliveries. The company also wants to address possible forms of the grey economy.

Both laws require the identity of the courier to be known. Under the previous policy, couriers were entitled to hire substitutes because they work as entrepreneurs.

Wolt expects account holders who did not make deliveries themselves to leave the platform as a result of the change.