Apple Podcasts · Dec 2024
Podcast episode with Gary Lin discussing Airwork’s origin, blue-collar hiring, screening, and how the company evolved after its YC batch.
Company research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
Overview
Airwork is a Toronto-based on-demand frontline staffing marketplace for businesses that need vetted blue-collar workers quickly. It connects employers to the top 5% of applicants, automates interviewing, scheduling, payroll, compliance, and backfill, and emphasizes fast shift fill and same-day worker pay.
Primary product
On-demand labor marketplace / staffing platform for frontline and blue-collar shifts
Founded
2022
Headquarters
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Team size
1-10 employees
Industry
Staffing and Recruiting
Sub-industry
On-demand blue-collar / frontline labor marketplace
Offices
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (HQ)
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Business model
marketplace
staffing platform
transaction fee / take-rate
People & investors
Leadership
Founder and CEO
Director of Operations
Engineering Advisor
Ruslan Belkin
Strategic Advisor
Nancy Soni
Talent Advisor
Work & culture
Public materials emphasize flexibility, transparency, empathy, growth mindset, simplicity, and ownership, with a mission to give businesses a flexible workforce and workers control over when they work.
Compensation
Public compensation signals are worker-facing: workers get 10% more pay by default, can receive same-day/within-30-minute payouts, and the platform charges employers a flat 30% fee. No public employee salary bands were found.
Benefits
100% free for workers
10% premium pay by default
same-day pay
instant payouts within ~30 minutes for supported banks
flexible shifts
top 5% acceptance rate
background check / vetting pipeline
insurance and worker's comp handled
no hidden fees for workers
Product & market
Pricing
Flat 30% platform fee on top of worker wages; no hidden fees; free for workers; $3,000 conversion fee for full-time hire before 500 billable hours, then free
Differentiators
- —Top 5% of applicants accepted
- —Shift fill rate claimed at ~98.5%
- —Shifts filled in about 2 hours
- —Automated interviewing, scheduling, payroll, compliance, and taxes
- —Auto-Backfill for cancellations
- —Same-day worker pay via Stripe Instant Payouts
- —Employer side handles no CPP/EI/benefits remittances because workers are treated as self-employed
Technology
Stripe Instant Payouts
Stripe payments
mobile app
web app
Customers
Tesla
Toronto Pearson Airport
Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)
Warehousing and distribution businesses
Manufacturing businesses
Event staffing customers
Hospitality and restaurant customers
Competitors
Traditional staffing agencies
Instawork
Wonolo
Qwick
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
~$5M annual revenue (estimated ARR, public estimate)
Latest news
LinkedIn · Apr 2024
Gary Lin announced the AirworkHQ blog and said the company would publish regular posts about blue-collar staffing, including the initial guide to running blue-collar work trials.
LinkedIn · Mar 2024
Gary Lin described Airwork’s attendance test feature, which screens reliability during worker onboarding and was said to reduce no-shows, late arrivals, and last-minute cancellations.
LinkedIn · Oct 2023
Airwork said it had launched in Toronto, grown revenue 20x, expanded to 8 industries across 12 Ontario cities, and completed 870 shifts with $200K paid to workers.
Y Combinator · Mar 2022
YC launch post describing Airwork’s public beta, frontline staffing marketplace, 2-hour shift fill claim, top 5% vetting, and expansion across Southern Ontario.
Jobs and careers at Airwork
0 jobs at Airwork
No open positions
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