Uber is continuing to invest in Chicago with the creation of a new on-demand staffing division in the Windy City.
On Thursday, Uber officially announced the launch of Uber Works, a platform that connects workers with businesses that need to fill shifts. The platform intends to help prep cooks, warehouse workers, event staff and other part-time workers find jobs on-demand.
Uber Works is launching first in Chicago and expects to roll the service out to other markets. Uber began quietly testing the staffing business in Chicago last year.
The news comes less than a month after Uber announced that it plans to hire 2,000 Chicago workers for its Uber Freight business, which is based in Chicago and will be located at the Old Main Post Office. Uber signed a 10-year lease to be an anchor tenant at the building. Uber currently has more than 1,000 corporate employees in Chicago.
Uber said it will work with staffing agencies, including TrueBlue, who will employ, pay and handle worker benefits.
"We believe a new, technology-first approach can provide faster and easier means for people to get work, while offering greater insight into the many opportunities for work that are out there—improving the experience for workers and businesses alike," Uber wrote in a company blog post.
Uber Works is similar to Chicago startup Shiftgig, a company that sells hiring software to staffing agencies. Earlier this year Shiftgig sold its staffing and national events businesses in a pivot to software.
Uber's stock was up around 2.5% Thursday afternoon.
