The digital economy sector, which is synonymous with the concept of sharing economy, is often considered a vulnerable sector for workers due to partnership being the main work relationshipJakarta (ANTARA) - A new-fangled survey by the Research Institute of Socio-Economic Development (RISED) identified flexible working hours as the key reason behind opting to work as ride-hailing or delivery riders in major Indonesian cities, including Jakarta.
Head of the RISED Research Team and Economist at Airlangga University, Rumayya Batubara, noted in a written statement in Jakarta on Wednesday (Sept 8) that this was one of the most important findings of the survey "Online Transportation Partnership During the COVID-19 Pandemic."
The survey was conducted using a "non-probability sampling" method on 700 two-wheeler and four-wheeler ride-hailing driver-partners in 10 cities in June 2021 and involved drivers from both Grab and Gojek.
Batubara noted that the survey was conducted due to recent debates and discussions around the partnership model in the ride-hailing industry.
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"The digital economy sector, which is synonymous with the concept of sharing economy, is often considered a vulnerable sector for workers due to partnership being the main work relationship," he pointed out.
Another interesting finding from the research was that most driver partners consider their partnership with companies, such as Gojek and Grab, to have gone well and have complied with the elements of partnership as regulated in the Indonesian Law on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Rumayya noted that most driver partners, reaching 75 percent, attributed flexible working hours as the primary reason behind working. Nearly all, or 94 percent, considered flexible working hours as important.
It means that ride-hailing driver partners have specific reasons for choosing their work and indicate that they are also aware that their working relationship with the company is different from the traditional working relationship in more conventional sectors.
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Hence, the work arrangement between ride-hailing driver partners and the companies are more appropriately accommodated as a partnership that is regulated in Law No 20 of 2008 on MSMEs.
"This flexibility element will disappear if the work arrangement becomes an employee-employer relationship. There will be binding and inflexible working hours regulations. However, under the partnership schemes, driver partners have the freedom to determine when to start and finish their work," Rumayya stated.
Permanent work
According to Rumayya, the survey also found that the second most significant factor for choosing to work as ride-hailing drivers was since driver partners did not have a permanent job.
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It shows that working as a ride-hailing driver becomes an alternative before switching to other jobs.
The survey also found that driver partners had received various forms of assistance from companies, including operational assistance and training and development.
"Most driver partners (95 percent) consider the assistance as being very useful," he stated.
Hence, Rumayya called for the government to continually monitor partnerships in the digital economy, so that both parties -- the drivers and companies -- are equally protected through a mutually beneficial relationship, and the public can still bear witness to the positive contribution of the online transportation industry.
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Translator: Edy S, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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