Wolt has received about 27,000 applications for courier positions in Finland after introducing new rules that prevent couriers from sharing or renting out delivery accounts, according to Yle.
The food delivery platform said the response exceeded its expectations following a two-week recruitment campaign held during the summer.
The application process included people already on Wolt’s waiting list, former substitute couriers and new applicants seeking work on the platform.
A Wolt spokesperson told Yle the company did not expect such a large number of applications.
According to the company, the response reflects the current labour market in Finland and strong demand for work that offers flexible hours.
The recruitment drive followed changes that took effect at the beginning of August. Under the new policy, only verified account holders whose identities and work permits have been checked are allowed to complete deliveries through the platform.
The company expects the reform to change the composition of its courier network as account holders who previously allowed others to use their accounts leave the service.
Wolt said it will not offer courier accounts to every applicant, according to Yle.
The company also ruled out transferring existing courier accounts directly to people who had previously worked through shared accounts. It said such transfers would disadvantage applicants already waiting for access to the platform and risk encouraging the sale of courier accounts.
The policy change replaces Wolt’s previous substitute model, which allowed registered couriers to let others carry out deliveries using their accounts.
According to Wolt, some account holders used the arrangement to sub-let access to their accounts, in some cases charging substitute couriers excessive amounts of money.
The company has said that the system created opportunities for abuse and made effective oversight difficult.
Wolt linked the changes to preparations for new legislation covering platform work and alcohol deliveries in Finland.
Both reforms are expected to require delivery companies to verify the identity of couriers.
The company began tightening its verification procedures earlier this year. In March it introduced regular identity and work permit checks, limited couriers to one account each, launched a reporting channel for suspected abuse and created a dedicated team to investigate potential violations.
When announcing the reform in May, Wolt chief executive Marianne Vikkula said ending account sharing would allow thousands of people to obtain their own verified courier accounts.
She also said the reform would help reduce Wolt’s waiting list, which then stood at about 20,000 applicants in Finland.
HT