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Rodolfo has driven for Uber more than 18,000 times in South Florida and has a near-perfect rating. Still, he feels trapped.
Adjusting to life in the United States since immigrating from Venezuela five years ago has been “very difficult,” Rodolfo told Business Insider in Spanish. Lacking the immigration documents and English proficiency needed for a well-paying job, he saw driving for Uber and Lyft as virtually his only options.
He said life has become easier since he started driving. And his job is fulfilling, as many of his drives include taking people to doctor’s appointments or helping older Americans with errands, allowing him to connect with dozens of people a day. doing.
However, he feels the need to “repeat, repeat, repeat” his daily schedule. Some weeks he may work 50 to 60 hours and only make $800 to $900 before gas and expenses.
he is not alone. He said he has seen many immigrants become drivers, but his pay has taken a hit due to increased competition. It has become increasingly difficult for him to ride rides that cost more, and he feels he has no choice but to accept most rides, including rides that cost $4 and $5 because they are unprofitable. Masu.
There are no official government or ride-hailing company statistics on the number of immigrants driving cars. but, almost half According to a poll of 25,062 adults commissioned by McKinsey and conducted by Ipsos and released in August 2022, 25,062 of all immigrants report being independent workers.
Gig work is the only source of income for many immigrants, said Georgetown University geographer Katie Wells, whose book Disrupting DC examines the rise of Uber in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Many are living a life of starting a new life, sending money and waiting for the next passenger.
“The issue of immigration and the gig economy is emerging not just here, but around the world as a new Ellis Island for migrant workers,” Wells said.
Major car rental companies told BI they aim to support immigrant drivers. In a statement to BI, an Uber spokesperson said the company has partnered with language learning platform Rosetta Stone and has a strategic partnership with the International Rescue Committee, which supports global refugee programs. Stated.
Uber said it offers in-person support in a variety of languages for drivers and couriers, and its app supports all languages offered by iOS and Android phones. Uber also supports various U.S. federal government refugee resettlement partners “to help refugees access needed goods and services through rides and deliveries.”
A Lyft spokesperson said the company offers a low economic entry barrier for many people “looking to establish themselves in a new location.” A spokesperson said: The company is offering Lyft Rewards driver discounts for online language learning app Mango Languages as it aims to improve pay and transparency on its app.
BI spoke with 12 immigrant Uber and Lyft drivers who immigrated to South Florida from countries such as Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti and Venezuela. Most requested that only their first names be used due to concerns about professional or personal repercussions, but BI confirmed their identities.
Many said they appreciated the platform for helping them start their lives anew. However, most of them choose not to drive because they cannot earn enough money from driving due to increased competition, because of language barriers, because they do not feel they have adequate support while driving, or because they do not have other opportunities. It outlines challenges such as feeling unable to get off the train.
Immigrants feel forced into gig work
Over the past few years, immigration has helped the U.S. economic recovery.According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Research Institute Quoted by the Washington PostFrom January 2023 to January 2024, about 50% of the labor market growth came from foreign-born workers.
Dozens of ride-hailing drivers across the country who spoke to BI over the past few months said they’ve noticed more immigrant drivers using the app recently. Some people say they’ve seen immigrant drivers using fake accounts or borrowing existing accounts from other drivers, and some passengers say they’re seeing immigrant drivers using fake accounts or borrowing existing accounts from other drivers, and some passengers have said they’ve seen drivers use fake accounts or borrow existing accounts from other drivers. Some say they felt unsafe if they were different.
Wells said many immigrants are attracted to the driving platform. This is because driving platforms have low barriers to entry and can be adopted quickly. Drivers do not need advanced English skills. All you need is a driver’s license and a car. While this can benefit many drivers, it also comes with risks.
“It’s very dangerous for people who don’t understand the conditions and risks of the work to do this kind of work, but these platforms generally don’t seem to care about that,” Wells said.
Wells said without extensive data, it’s impossible to know how much of this workforce is made up of recent immigrants. She added that she has seen many immigrant communities come together and build solidarity around driving and delivery jobs, such as the New York City collective Los Deliveristas Unidos.
It’s hard for immigrants to find jobs outside of ride-hailing services.
Edgar, 60, runs an auto parts business in Venezuela, which helps him make ends meet. But when he came to Miami five years ago, With the country’s economic collapse, he soon found it difficult to transfer his skills.
When he first arrived, he did not have the proper legal documents to find full-time employment, but that changed when Venezuelan immigrants were granted Temporary Protected Status.
He has been unable to find management positions and said his age is a barrier to entering the industry. He continues to run his business in Venezuela, but he is spending less time on it. Over two years ago, he applied to be his Uber and Lyft driver as a temporary solution and enjoyed being his boss.
“Typically people like me are retired and not working full time,” Edgar said. “It’s difficult to find a job with my skills.”
For the past few years, he’s been driving 40 to 50 hours a week, mostly Monday through Friday, while raising three children who are heading off to college and the workforce. According to income statements seen by BI, his weekly salary is between $700 and $800, which drops to $400 to $500 a week after gas and expenses are taken into account.
“I feel like I’m making less money than I used to because Uber pays less per mile than last year,” Edgar said. “There is a lot of competition for this job right now.”
Mr. D, a Haitian immigrant who has been driving for seven years and immigrated to the United States 10 years ago, said that while he enjoys driving, it hasn’t given him the level of financial security he had hoped for. He drives six days a week from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. On a good day, the income statement confirms that he can earn between $300 and $400 before expenses. There were some pretty grueling driving days in Miami that were causing stress, but he couldn’t find any other kind of work.
“You just have to do it, and if you don’t do it, you’re not going to get anything,” he said. “We just have to push and keep fighting.”
Many of the same factors affect children of immigrants. Alex, 32, was born and raised in South Florida to his parents who emigrated from El Salvador. Although he was raised to work hard, he was not given many opportunities to attend higher education or hold an office job because his English is not perfect and his work history does not match the demands of a white-collar job. Ta.
To support himself and his family, he started driving for Uber one to two days a week in February, in addition to working as an Amazon Flex driver. He said that on average, after expenses, he pays Uber $150 per day. But constant traffic jams are hampering his income. He said Amazon Flex, which pays hourly wages and overtime, increases his daily income.
Alternatives are hard to find for immigrant drivers, but some do it just fine.
Most of the immigrants BI spoke to said they applied for all kinds of jobs, from maintenance and construction jobs to restaurants and retail jobs, but were unsuccessful. Some suspect that language barriers, lack of proper documentation, or lack of employment experience are to blame.
For example, Eliezer, an Uber driver from Nicaragua who has had a 5.0-star rating for almost two years, doesn’t know if he’ll be driving for much longer, although he hasn’t gotten any leads from other jobs. he said.
He admitted that his income was not enough to live comfortably, but with his resume and work history he did not know what other jobs he could get. He prioritizes driving around Miami Beach, and some weeks he puts in 70 hours to earn enough money.
“I don’t plan on driving for the rest of my life, but this job allows me to travel to my country and other countries because I don’t have to ask for permission when I want to go,” Eleazar said. Leave from manager.
Some immigrants have found other jobs and rely on driving for extra income, allowing them to live a more comfortable life.
Carlos, an immigrant from Venezuela, points out that being a gig driver is not enough for a full-time job, so he drives part-time to supplement his job in real estate. This year’s spring break was less crowded than previous years, which hurt his income, but there weren’t as many fights or security issues as in previous years.
Nicanor, who left Cuba in 1997 and moved to New York before arriving in Miami, drives for Uber several days a month to supplement his full-time job as a truck driver. He likes the part-time system, which allows him to earn a few hundred dollars a month and allows him to focus on work that provides a more stable income and social interaction.
“I don’t want to be home alone,” he said, adding that there aren’t many families in the area.
Despite the challenges of earning enough money, some drivers are trying to develop the perfect strategy to make driving a career. Especially since they have repeatedly faced disappointment in recruitment in other sectors.
For Keiris, a young mother who recently immigrated from Cuba, driving for Uber was “the best thing that happened to me,” she said in Spanish. When she first came to the United States, she had another job that wasn’t as financially stable, but she even enjoys being her own boss.
She earns about $1,200 a week after expenses driving around downtown Miami, but said her income is stable enough that she has little intention of quitting.
Still, she’s not sure she has enough savings for a comfortable retirement.
Are you a gig driver struggling to make ends meet? Have you recently immigrated from another country? Contact this reporter at nsheid lower@businessinsider.com.