Supreme Administrative Court: Food couriers are employees, not entrepreneurs

Top court rules Wolt couriers are employees, not self-employed

Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that food couriers working for Wolt must be classified as employees rather than independent entrepreneurs, overturning a lower court ruling and setting a significant legal precedent on platform-based work. The ruling concerns the employment status of couriers delivering food via the Wolt platform. The court found that the relationship between the couriers and Wolt involved characteristics of emplo…

The Supreme Administrative Court concluded in a voting decision that the freedom of messengers to freely choose their working hours prevents the application of the Working Hours Act to their activities.

Finland's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that food couriers are employees, not entrepreneurs.

Supreme Administrative Court: Food couriers are employees, not entrepreneurs

The decision reversed a lower court ruling made last year.

Wolt's food delivery drivers are employed staff and not independent entrepreneurs. The Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that this is the case.

Seppo Koskinen, professor emeritus of labor law, told Kauppalehti that the recent Wolt decision of the Supreme Administrative Court (KHO) will have far-reaching effects on the Finnish labor market.