SINGAPORE — Some people may hold negative perceptions towards logistic, service-oriented jobs by assuming that such jobs are low-paying and lack job security.
To delivery rider Ifah Wan, he has had enough of people looking down on his job because of misconceptions about low pay.
In a TikTok video he posted on Thursday (23 Feb), Ifah shared how much platform workers like him can earn, and encouraged viewers not to underestimate their earning potential.
Although there is no basic salary, Ifah explained that a full-time delivery rider working eight to 10 hours a day could easily earn around S$6,500 a month.
He also noted that it’s not necessary to work seven days a week, as working four longer days can also be lucrative.
“You can actually work four days a week but maybe longer hours.”
In conclusion, Ifah asked viewers not to judge delivery riders based on their occupation, as their salaries may be higher than those of other professions.
“So please don’t look down on us because maybe our salary is much more than yours.”
While there are supportive messages from TikTokers that he deserve the earning for his whole-day hard working, some accused him of boasting about his earnings and looking down on others:
When responding to a TikToker, Ifah clarified that he was simply frustrated that people looked down on delivery riders and that he did not mean to offend anyone.
Ifah had since deleted the video. He uploaded another clip on his TikTok account, where he apologized for anyone who might have been offended by his previous comments.
“Rilek la, don’t get offended la,” he said, “sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings.”
@ifahwan
Netizen urged stop to judge people by their salary
A TikToker commented that Ifah was merely stating the truth about how much riders can earn and could not understand why some people got angry about Ifah’s remarks.
Another TikToker suggested that people should stop evaluating others solely based on their salary.:
A netizen joked that he could help promote the Grab rider job so that everyone can work as delivery riders and earn S$6,500 together, as “one nation one Singapore”.
Delivery rider’s everyday challenges
Although Ifah’s earnings may seem impressive, delivery riders face many challenges.
They have to deal with time constraints, complicated traffic conditions, and even rude customers.
Recently, a GrabFood delivery rider shared online that he lost a whole day worth of hard-earned money within just two minutes, for having his bike clamped by a condominium’s security after parking near residential lift lobby to make his delivery.
Another rider mistakenly sent food to a wrong address, found that the food had already being eaten by the staffs there and they allegedly refused to pay back the amount of the food.
There are estimated 73,000 platform workers in Singapore, among them 16,700 are delivery riders, who have been raising their concerns on rising cost and falling earnings.
During his Budget 2023 speech on 14 Feb, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a scheme, “Platform Worker CPF Transition Support,” to provide support to lower-income platform workers as they make increased Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions.
