They’ve got a unique name, a unique history, and a unique mission. Wonolo (which stands for Work Now Locally) was founded in 2014 and helps connect workers with job opportunities at companies big and small across the U.S. Wonolo was built for single parents, artists, students, anyone who wants a flexible schedule and the autonomy to decide what job works best for them.
Already, more than 500,000 workers are on Wonolo’s platform, where they can access local jobs in their area right from their mobile device. These jobs, or “gigs,” are much different than what you expect from most gig economy companies: Wonolo jobs don’t involve driving passengers or shopping for groceries, and sometimes the temporary work leads to permanent positions.
Workers on Wonolo populate many of the warehouse, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers across the country, helping power the e-commerce boom that has only heightened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of Wonolo’s customers end up hiring dozens of the temporary workers they first found through Wonolo – meaning their app is helping workers and businesses “test” each other out through temporary jobs before committing full time.
Workers on the mobile app get to see what jobs are available in the area, what they’ll get paid for completing a job, and details of what’s expected of them. Workers get paid hourly, which helps ensure they’re compensated for all the hours they work. They can also obtain skills and earn badges by completing various online training courses that Wonolo offers through their program WonoloUp.
Wonolo is also trying to help address the skills gap by offering workers the opportunity to obtain more skills and earn badges by completing various online training courses that Wonolo offers through their program WonoloUp. The workers can use these skills to get higher-paying jobs on Wonolo or wherever else they find job opportunities.
What’s more, many of the jobs already pay at or above the living wage for a single person. But Wonolo knows they have work to do and is thinking of new ways to use MIT’s Living Wage Data to help encourage ALL businesses on their platform to offer jobs that pay a living wage in their community.
In addition to offering living wage job opportunities, Wonolo also provides workers access to more traditional benefits. All workers on Wonolo have Occupational Accident Insurance and have access to a range of benefits including health insurance, dental insurance, paid Flex Time Off, tax help, and more – all of them portable so workers can take them wherever they go.
