Wolt couriers in Finland are about to experience a major shift in how they work. For the first time, the delivery platform will start hiring couriers as employees instead of relying entirely on contractors. The company expects to bring around 100 couriers under employment contracts before the end of the year, marking a significant change in its business model.
The move comes after years of public debate about job security and working rights in Finland’s platform economy. Wolt said the new approach is meant to reflect what many of its couriers have been asking for: more stability, better protection, and the chance to choose how they work.
According to Joel Jarvinen, Wolt’s Chief Operating Officer for Northern Europe, the decision is meant to give couriers both freedom and structure. “Most couriers still prefer to work independently, deciding their hours and pace. But there are also those who want more predictability,” he explained. “This pilot is designed to serve both.”
How the new Wolt courier employment model works
Under the new employment plan, Wolt couriers in Finland will earn about 14 euros per hour during active delivery time. While that is less than the 20 to 21 euros freelance couriers typically invoice per hour, the new employees will receive social benefits, pension contributions, and paid sick leave.
Employed couriers will also have supervisors, attend regular check-ins with their managers, and wear company-issued uniforms. They will not be allowed to send substitutes or work for other platforms at the same time. Wolt will supply them with helmets, reflective vests, and other safety gear. Training and meeting time will be compensated.
Recruitment begins in October, and the first hired couriers are expected to start working before the year ends. The company is also preparing to hire managerial staff to run the pilot program.
Union reactions to Wolt’s employment shift
The announcement has not gone without criticism. The Service Union United (PAM) accused Wolt of doing too little to meet the standards set by Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court, which ruled in May that food couriers must be recognized as employees.
Annika Ronni-Sallinen, PAM’s chairperson, welcomed the small step but called it “insufficient.” She pointed out that about 6,000 couriers will remain outside the employment system. “Hiring 100 couriers is not enough. The ruling applies to all Wolt couriers,” she said. “Otherwise, this looks like an attempt to delay real change.”
PAM argued that only a fraction of workers will gain access to paid holidays, job security, and basic employment protections. “It is unfair that most couriers still have none of these rights,” said Papy Nkunda, head of PAM Couriers Finland.
Wolt’s stance on regulation and negotiations
Wolt insists that Finland needs clearer rules for digital platform work. The company’s Head of Public Policy for the Nordics, Olli Koski, said that inconsistent laws are limiting innovation. “We need legislation that allows people to work either as employees or as entrepreneurs, depending on how the work is organized,” he said.
Wolt is also open to resuming talks with PAM about a collective agreement. Negotiations between the company and the union collapsed late last year over pay issues.
Juha Ojala, PAM’s head of contracts, said the union is willing to return to the table if Wolt fully follows Finnish labor law. “We can negotiate if the goal is genuine improvement of income and security,” he said. “But it must be based on the court’s ruling.”
The pilot project could reshape how gig work operates across the Nordic region. Wolt currently operates in 25 countries and employs around 10,000 couriers in Finland alone. Nearly 20,000 more people are waiting to join the platform.
As European regulators push for stronger protections for platform workers, Finland’s approach may serve as a model for others. The company’s decision to test direct employment could mark a turning point for delivery work in Europe’s gig economy.
The outcome of this pilot will likely influence how Wolt and other platforms handle worker status in the coming years. For now, the question remains whether this limited move toward employment will be enough to satisfy both workers and lawmakers.
