Fipe research shows that restaurants registered on the platform created 10,400 jobs per month between 2015 and 2019
Contrary to the increase in unemployment in Brazil, restaurants registered with iFood created, on average, 10,472 jobs per month between 2015 and 2019, while those that do not operate on the platform had a net loss of 5,676 jobs.
This is what reveals the research “Economic impact of iFood on the restaurant sector in Brazilian regions”, carried out by Fipe (Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas), at the request of iFood, to estimate how joining the platform impacts the restaurant sector. In the same period, the unemployment rate in the country went from 9.6% to 11.9%, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
The presence of iFood had a positive impact on the job market: the result was that 4,796 jobs were created or preserved per month — or an average of 1.7 more jobs in each restaurant, even considering the negative result of those who are not partners . Furthermore, the average salary of restaurant employees increased after they joined iFood: it went from R$ 1,331 to R$ 1,457 per month.
The numbers are consistent with what iFood observes on a daily basis. “When registering on the platform, many restaurants see an increase in revenue, a direct result of the growth in sales through the new channel. The consequence of the greater demand is that many establishments increase the number of employees, which was verified in practice in the Fipe survey”, comments Arthur Fisch, coordinator of Public Policies at iFood.
Digitization also opens up a new market for delivery restaurants. “iFood increases the connection between restaurants and consumers and represents another sales channel with a potential increase in demand”, assesses Érica Diniz Oliveira, chief economist at iFood. “Restaurants that haven’t joined the platform don’t have this shock.”
Chain effects
Another positive result of the research is that iFood partner restaurants employed more people and created more jobs between 2015 and 2019 than non-partners. During the period, each iFood partner restaurant had a team of 14 people; Those who were not partners had a team of 11 people.
“This result shows the level of responsibility that iFood has achieved in the sector. At times when job creation was very compromised, we contributed to maintaining the dignity and income of a large number of Brazilians”, comments Arnaldo Bertolaccini, director of Restaurant Experience at iFood. “The unemployment problem is far from being resolved, but we see the size of the potential we have to generate new jobs.”
And many other jobs may have been created by the table, points out Érica. “The delivery activity has several threads. In addition to the initial and direct effects, it also generates indirect and induced effects. Therefore, it was estimated that for every 100 direct jobs created by iFood, another 60 are generated in other sectors”, he states.
This happens because the chain of intersectoral purchases and sales necessary to meet the increase in demand due to the platform's activities also heats up other sectors, such as input suppliers.
“A strawberry pie sold in Salvador, Bahia, may have been made with flour produced in Paraná and strawberries from Minas Gerais. The regions have an increase in demand for their products resulting from activities intermediated by iFood and, consequently, hire more workers.”
Furthermore, there are impacts resulting from increased income. “People employed due to iFood’s activities, directly and indirectly, also move the economy through the purchases they make”, adds the economist.
Growth with iFood
In São Paulo (SP), the burger restaurant Just Burger, dedicated exclusively to delivery, has accelerated hiring every year since its founding in 2018. “In 2019, we already saw a very large possibility of growth, so much so that I closed my other company , in the events area, to dedicate myself solely to delivery”, says its founder, Maikon Rangel.
An iFood partner since the burger restaurant's first year, Maikon says that, at the end of 2019, the company grew 100%. After the pandemic, growth accelerated: Just Burger, which had 12 employees and 12 delivery drivers in 2020, now has 40 employees and 40 delivery drivers.
And the expansion continued in 2021, with the opening of a branch in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), where 10 motorcycle couriers and 5 employees work. In February 2022, Just Burger will open another unit, in Guarulhos (SP). “iFood was the one who believed in the business from the first year, and that made all the difference in our growth”, says the entrepreneur.
