Uber is becoming less Uber-y. So what are we doing about the Uber-isation of disability support?

An historic agreement between Uber Australia and the Transport Workers Union marks a significant moment in efforts to create greater protections for gig economy workers. This is good news for food delivery drivers. However, it took over a decade of campaigning and, tragically, the deaths of several workers to get here. For other sectors seeing the “Uberisation” of services, there is still an urgent need to provide employment protections for workers and their clients. 

Like the taxi and food-delivery services, the disability sector is being increasingly Uber-ised.

Disability support workers are moving away from traditional employment avenues and toward online platforms that engage them as sole traders. 

These platforms call them “independent contractors” and it’s the “independent” bit that leaves them most at risk. When something goes wrong or when it comes to professional obligations and training - these workers can find themselves very much on their own. While some contractors are able to make more money as sole traders, the trade off can cost them more in the long run.

I’ve made no secret of how concerned I am about the rise of this model in disability support. Not only does it fail workers, I worry that it undermines an entire sector - and with it, the people it’s supposed to support. 

But am I right? These concerns need to be tested.

We asked one of Australia's leading and independent think tanks, Per Capita, to have a look. Analysts there undertook wide-ranging research and produced a report and the findings are predictably shocking.

In a nutshell, it found the rise of sole-trader digital platforms in the disability sector; 

• Reduces workers’ income and conditions;
• Lessens the quality of support and, in turn, raises risk for people with disability; 
• Could threaten the market for support as a whole.  

To lift directly from the report: 

“While some may benefit from the increased flexibility that such work arrangements provide, moving from an employment to a self-employed status comes with considerable risks. The potential hazards of the digital contractor model for workers appear consistent across many industries: lower income security, more complex administrative requirements, fewer training and peer-to-peer support opportunities, higher personal liability risks, and fewer social protections like sick pay, parental leave and superannuation contributions.”

Let’s pick up on that last point. Superannuation. According to the report’s research, the average independent support worker will retire on just $88,000 compared to $525,000 saved by their employed equivalent. 

This is just one example of how we need to think about the big picture as we incorporate new technologies and new ways of living - especially at this crucial time for the disability community.  Never before have people with disability had such choice and control over their own lives and the supports they need to live them. Flexibility is central to this. But flexibility and workers rights are not mutually exclusive, as we’ve proven with our Hireup model.    

We employ support workers and connect them to clients via our digital platform. Both employee and client can choose what, how and when supports are provided, and we take on the responsibility for proper insurance, superannuation, and other safeguards that provide security and peace of mind for everyone.

Even Uber - the granddaddy of digital platforms - is starting to warm to the idea of lifting standards and providing better protections for workers. So why can’t the disability sector also have a serious discussion about the kind of workforce it wants to create? If we can do it for people who deliver hamburgers, surely we can do it for people who deliver crucial supports under the NDIS.