This publication arises from research funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) through the Future of Work in the Global South (FoWiGS) initiative coordinated by CIPPEC.
*The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of IDRC or its Board of Governors. This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.
Latin America has been at the centre of recent debates about the precarious and unfair conditions of workers in the platform economy. This report on Chile presents the second set of Fairwork ratings for the region, following the 2021 report on Ecuador. For this report, seven of the most prominent platforms in Chile—Uber, Uber Eats, Cabify, Rappi, Pedidos Ya, and DiDi—were evaluated against the five global principles of Fairwork.
The gig economy in Chile has been slowly consolidating, with early adoption of transportation apps (Uber and Cabify), followed by delivery for restaurants (Pedidos Ya, Rappi), and groceries (Cornershop, a Chilean-designed app that operates internationally and was recently acquired by Uber). The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile have encouraged thousands of formal workers to join the gig economy.
In this context, the public agenda has begun to focus on the precarious working conditions faced by gig workers, including the unequal access to safety and health protection tools during the pandemic, and the lack of financial compensation when workers were unable to work. The Chilean case is no exception.
This report explores the working conditions in the local gig economy to contribute to improving the standards for those who participate in this market.
IDRC has launched FOWIGS—a research program that will help understand how these changes are affecting the lives of the most vulnerable and suggest pathways for an inclusive digital future. The challenges are large and the questions are complex. But we need to face them now more than ever. Stay connected. Learn how.