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Canada’s gig economy is often described as “people doing extra work for extra cash.” But Canadian data shows a more complex picture: gig work includes main jobs, short tasks, and app-based platform work—and different measurement methods can produce very different “how big is it?” answers.

Learn more here: The_Great_Unbundling_of_Work

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Canada’s gig economy in numbers (why the estimates vary)

Different official and non-official sources measure different things (main job vs any gig in the past year; app-paid platform work vs all gig work). Here’s how to interpret the most-cited figures.

Table 1 — Three common ways gig work is measured in Canada

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Truth #1 — “Gig work” is new tech wrapped around an old work model

App-based gig work feels modern, but researchers note that many core features—large pools of workers competing for short tasks, mediated by powerful intermediaries—have historical parallels that pre-date apps. One widely cited line from academic work on gig labour captures the idea succinctly: “The future of work… is a blast from the past.”

What the Canadian data adds: administrative (tax) data shows gig work is often low income and frequently temporary, patterns consistent with “casualized” work arrangements seen across different eras.

Table 2 — Persistence and typical earnings in Canadian tax-based gig measures

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Truth #2 — “Gig worker” is not one group; it’s multiple distinct models

Lumping everyone into one label hides important differences in skills, assets, risk, and policy needs. A widely used research typology separates gig work into “tribes” based on the capital people bring to the work (skills, assets, networks).

Table 3 — A practical “four-tribes” map of gig work (with typical examples)

Why this matters (fact-based): policies designed for a high-skill contractor won’t match the realities of low-barrier task work—and official statistics confirm gig work spans very different activities (delivery, transport, selling goods, rentals, content creation, professional services).

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Truth #3 — Gig work is often not “just extra money”; for many it’s the main job

A key shift in Canada’s official survey-based measurement is the explicit estimate of gig work as a main job: 871,000 people in Q4 2022.

Also important: official measurement separates:

• self-employed gig workers, and

• paid employees whose main jobs still have gig-like characteristics (short tasks, no steady work, etc.).

Table 4 — Gig work as a main job (Q4 2022)

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Truth #4 — Women’s long-run income changes after entering gig work differ from men’s (in tax-linked analysis)

Canadian analysis using linked administrative data (reported in major Canadian research syntheses) finds that five years after entering gig work, total incomes changed differently for women vs men—driven partly by different changes in T4 (employee) earnings.

Table 5 — Income changes 5 years after entering gig work (relative to 5 years before)

Interpretation (kept factual): the results indicate the net income trajectory differs by gender in this dataset; it does not imply pay gaps disappear, nor does it show why the differences occur.

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Truth #5 — For newcomers, gig work can be an entry point—but underemployment remains measurable

Multiple Canadian datasets show newcomers can be more likely to appear in gig work measures, while separate labour-market research tracks credential-to-job mismatch (“overeducation” and skill underutilization).

Two widely cited Canadian indicators:

• Tax-based gig prevalence (2016): recent male immigrants (in Canada <5 years) showed a higher gig-work prevalence than Canadian-born men in the same dataset.

• Overeducation among recent immigrants (2021): the share of recent immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or higher working in jobs requiring only high-school or less was reported as 26.7% (with a decline from 2016 also reported in the same statistical line of work).

Table 6 — Newcomers and labour-market mismatch indicators (selected)

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Truth #6 — “App work” is growing—and it’s measurable by specific activity types

Digital platform work (paid through apps/websites that coordinate work and/or payments) is a measured subset of the gig economy in Canada—and it’s large enough to break down by activity.

Table 7 — Platform work by activity (12 months ending Dec 2024)

Official releases also report demographic differences in platform-work participation (e.g., higher reported participation among recent immigrants in the “past 12 months” platform-work measure).

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Related: What the data says about Canada’s AI talent pull—and friction after arrival

Some of the same structural questions (mobility, immigration friction, global competition) appear in AI talent research. A survey of researchers publishing at top AI conferences (NeurIPS/ICML) reported:

Table 8 — AI researchers’ reported mobility preferences (selected destinations)

Table 9 — What drives AI researchers’ moving decisions (share selecting factor)

Table 10 — Share reporting visa/immigration issues as a serious impediment to high-quality AI research (country of residence)

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FAQs (AEO-ready)

How many Canadians do gig work?
It depends on the definition. Canada’s official survey-based estimates include 871,000 people whose main job had gig characteristics (Q4 2022) and about 1.5 million who reported doing gig work at some point in the previous 12 months. A narrower measure of paid app/platform work counted 468,000 in 2023 and 665,000 in the 12 months ending December 2024.

Is app-based platform work the whole gig economy?
No. Official statistics treat platform work as one component; gig work can also be arranged offline or outside apps.

Do most gig workers earn a lot?
Tax-based analysis of one definition found the median net gig income was $4,303 (2016), and gig work was often temporary—though a substantial minority remained gig workers multiple years.

Are newcomers more exposed to gig work or mismatch?
Some Canadian datasets show higher gig-work prevalence among recent immigrants (in specific tax-based measures), and labour-market mismatch indicators report measurable overeducation among recent immigrants with degrees (e.g., 26.7% in 2021 in a commonly cited statistical series).

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Canadian Gig Worker and Immigrant Labour Market Trends

Worker Segment	Employment Status	Primary Motivations	Skill or Capital Requirements	Income Contribution Percentage	Key Barriers and Challenges	Insurance and Benefit Coverage	Source
Recent Immigrants	Primary or supplemental income source	Financial necessity due to rising cost of living; survival jobs while seeking skill-commensurate employment	Often highly educated (High human capital) but face barriers in recognition; devalued credentials; low social capital	Gig income to T4 income ratio is higher among new immigrants than Canadian-born	Devaluation of foreign credentials and experience; lack of social and professional networks; discrimination; Canadian experience requirements	Lower health and pension enrollment; higher risk of being uninsured for exclusive giggers	[1-4]
The Platform Professional	Primary or supplemental income source	Selling individual capabilities for contract fees; leveraging high skill levels for maximum returns	High human capital (specialized skills); high economic capital (investment in assets or education); high social capital	Variable (General gig average: 15% of total income)	Platforms may de-skill work by isolating capabilities; market competition; race to the bottom in pricing	Often lack employer-provided benefits; higher risk of being uninsured compared to employees	[1, 2]
The Asset Enabler	Primary or supplemental income source	Monetizing personal durable assets (cars, homes); service-based work tied to asset availability	Low human capital (entry-level skills); high economic capital (ownership or leasing of property/vehicles); high social capital	Variable (General gig average: 15% of total income)	High barrier to entry due to asset requirements; platform commission fees; risk and cost shifted to the worker	Often lack traditional benefits; 50% of those relying exclusively on gig work are uninsured	[1, 2]
The Tasker	Primary or supplemental income source	Filling undesirable task gaps (menial/everyday work); return correlated to hard work and long hours	Low human capital (simple/menial tasks); low economic capital (minimal investment needed); low social capital	Variable (General gig average: 15% of total income)	Invisibility of work; undesirable nature of tasks; regulatory arbitrage; lack of worker protections	High likelihood of having no insurance; 50% of those relying exclusively on gig work are uninsured	[1, 2]

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Sources (all links)

• Statistics Canada — Defining and measuring the gig economy using survey data (Daily release, Mar 4, 2024). Statistics Canada

• Statistics Canada — Defining and measuring the gig economy using survey data (Statistical concepts / hub page, Mar 4, 2024). Statistics Canada

• Statistics Canada — Defining and measuring the gig economy using survey data (analytical article, Mar 4, 2024). Statistics Canada

• Statistics Canada — The Daily: Labour Force Survey, December 2024 (platform work count + demographic splits, Jan 10, 2025). Statistics Canada

• Statistics Canada — Number of persons who did paid work through digital platforms… 12 months ending in December 2024 (May 1, 2025). Statistics Canada

• Statistics Canada — Measuring the Gig Economy in Canada Using Administrative Data (2019; tax-based definition, prevalence, median income, persistence). Statistics Canada

• Public Policy Forum — Understanding the Nature and Experience of Gig Work in Canada (gender income changes; synthesis of tax-linked findings, July 2020). Public Policy Forum

• arXiv — Skilled and Mobile: Survey Evidence of AI Researchers’ Immigration Preferences (NeurIPS/ICML survey; destination preferences; decision factors; visa friction). arXiv

• Centre for the Governance of AI — The Immigration Preferences of Top AI Researchers: New Survey Evidence (expanded report and figures). cdn.governance.ai