Instacart plans to hire 300,000 workers

Instacart is looking to hire hundreds of thousands of workers to meet surging demand for grocery deliveries as millions of people are urged to stay home to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The on-demand grocery startup said Monday that it seeks to hire 300,000 “fullservice shoppers,” who are treated as independent contractors, in North America over the next three months due to increased demand spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. That would more than double its current workforce of full-service shoppers.

“The last few weeks have been the busiest in Instacart’s history and our teams are working around the clock to reliably and safely serve all members of our community,” said Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta in a statement.

Instacart is one of several companies delivering essentials to households that are now expanding fast at a time when much of the American economy is at risk of contracting. Amazon and Walmart each recently announced they plan to hire at least 100,000 workers due to increased customer demand.

Yet, there are concerns about whether companies are doing enough for workers, who are the backbone of the services they offer, during this unprecedented public health crisis.

While Instacart has touted its surge in customer orders in recent weeks and introduced an option for customers to have orders left at their doorsteps, workers have criticized the company for not doing enough for them.

Like other gig economy companies, Instacart said it will provide paid sick leave to workers diagnosed with coronavirus or placed under quarantine.