Shubham Saran, Foodpanda Malaysia’s head of logistics, told FMT there had been a 7.5% increase in the number of delivery men for his company and a 37% increase in applications for the job.

He said his company had in fact begun to hire significant numbers of new riders a week before March 18.

“To accommodate the developing situation, we welcome anyone who may need temporary work opportunities to contact us via our rider recruitment site,” he said.

A spokesman for Grab said the company had decided to use its e-hailing drivers to support its food and mart delivery services.

There had been a decline in demand for the e-hailing service since the MCO started, she told FMT.

“When the MCO kicked in, the priority was to look at how we could tap on existing resources,” she said.

“To date, we have taken on board tens of thousands of drivers nationwide. This enables our driver partners to take advantage of our ecosystems to generate income to sustain their families.”

She said an increase in demand for food and grocery deliveries coupled with a strain on delivery networks were also factors that contributed to the decision.

It was reported previously that some delivery companies had recorded more than a 30% jump in orders since the MCO came into force.

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