We are pleased to announce a new research publication by our colleagues Miaojia Lu, Rui Liu, Gonçalo Homem de Almeida Correia, Kuldeep Kavta, and Chengyuan Huang, titled:
“Examining couriers’ job satisfaction in instant delivery services: A structural equation model with multi-group analysis based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory.”
📚 Research in Transportation Business & Management (forthcoming)
🚚 About the study:
The booming instant delivery sector in China has attracted large numbers of couriers thanks to low entry barriers, flexible working hours, and competitive pay. At the same time, the sector is characterized by heavy workloads, traffic accidents, and precarious conditions that can undermine job satisfaction. This paper brings a holistic psychological perspective into this context by operationalizing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory (MHNT) within a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) framework to understand how different layers of needs shape couriers’ job satisfaction.
Using survey data from 490 couriers in Shanghai and nearby regions, the study captures both full-time and part-time couriers and conducts a multi-group SEM analysis to reveal how the drivers of satisfaction differ between employment types. Beyond basic needs, the framework explicitly incorporates physical health, occupational discrimination, and the role of new technologies (e.g., platforms, apps, algorithmic management) as factors potentially affecting satisfaction.
Key insights include:
- Couriers in China face high workloads and accident risks, which threaten job satisfaction and long-term sustainability of the sector.
- Maslow’s hierarchy provides a multi-layered lens to analyze couriers’ needs, from basic pay and safety to higher-level career development and self-fulfilment.
- The study examines how physical health, perceived discrimination, and new technologies are linked to job satisfaction in the instant delivery context.
- Part-time couriers are mainly influenced by compensation and working environment, while full-time couriers are additionally driven by career development opportunities, highlighting heterogeneous motivations across employment types.
These findings deepen our understanding of working conditions and motivators for couriers in instant delivery services, and offer actionable guidance for platforms and policymakers seeking to improve job satisfaction and support the sustainable development of the sector.
🎉 Congratulations to the authors on this insightful contribution to the study of courier welfare and the future of instant delivery!