Uber is branching out into the gig economy with cooking, cleaning, and more

Uber has been steadily facing backlash from governments on every level across the globe, and much of it banking on employment benefits for its massive fleet of gig drivers.

Uber, meanwhile, is pursuing a different tactic: applying its gig economy model to all kinds of work.

Uber has announced an expansion of a temporary staffing service it has been testing in Chicago. The program, called Uber Works, connects workers with businesses offering short-term jobs in hospitality, events, light industrial and other sectors. Miami will become the second city where Uber Works is available, with more planned for next year.

The program has been mainly focused on workers at traditional staffing agencies, but the company plans to start recruiting from its massive pool of drivers in the coming months, said Andrey Liscovich, the chief executive officer of the Uber Works project. That would enable anyone in those cities to sign up for an array of gigs that don’t require a car and driver’s license, potentially unlocking an even bigger labor market.

“For us to invest in something, it needs to be on the order of ride-share in size, or even exceed it,” Liscovich said.

Dara Khosrowshahi, the company’s CEO, has struggled to define what Uber is and why investors should put up with at least two more years of estimated losses.

Read more here.

Join us February 26-27 for the Property Portal Watch Conference Bangkok 2020.