Uber Technologies will launch a Chicago-based staffing business Friday, expanding its offerings from on-demand drivers, trucking and food delivery to on-demand workers.
Uber Works will launch Friday, handling employee screening while it’s partner, staffing agency TrueBlue, will handle payments and worker benefits, an Uber spokesperson confirmed Wednesday evening. Additional staffing agencies are expected to join in the partnership.
Uber Works follows the company’s on-demand trucking service, Uber Freight, as the second Uber business based in Chicago. Last month, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company will have a high profile in Chicago for years to come, promising an annual investment in the city exceeding $200 million.
Uber Freight, which already employs about 1,000 people in Chicago, said it will hire 2,000 new employees in the city as it moves into two floors of the Old Main Post Office at 433 W. Van Buren St.
Uber went public in May, collecting about $8.1 billion for its initial public offering, but it lost $5.2 billion in the second quarter from 2019. That followed a $1 billion loss in the first quarter.
Khosrowshahi said he wasn’t proud of the numbers but assured that the company can invest in growth and technology to improve its results.
Additional information on Uber Works was not immediately available.
