Canadian gig workers, 2016

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Release date: December 16, 2019
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Infographic: Canadian gig workers, 2016
Description: Canadian gig workers, 2016

Canadian gig workers, 2016

Gig workers are usually independent contractors hired for short-term jobs. This includes highly skilled freelancers as well as on-demand workers hired for jobs through the growing number of online platforms.

The percentage of gig workers among all workers grew between 2005 and 2016.
  All Men Women
2005 5.5% 4.8% 6.2%
2016 8.2% 7.2% 9.1%
More than half of all gig workers also had one or more wage jobs.
Number of wage jobs held by gig workers Share of gig workers
None 48.6%
One 36.3%
Two or more 15.1%
The percentage of gig workers in the lowest 20% of the individual income distribution was about twice as high as the percentage of gig workers in the highest 20%.
  Male gig workers Female gig workers
Workers in the lowest 20% of the income distribution 11.3% 12.3%
Workers in the highest 20% of the income distribution 5.4% 6.9%
British Columbia had the highest share of gig workers.
Region of residence Men Women
Atlantic provinces 4.3% 6.4%
Quebec 7.5% 9.8%
Ontario 8.0% 8.9%
Prairies 5.6% 8.5%
British Columbia 8.7% 10.7%
The percentage of gig workers among all workers was the highest among occupations in Arts, culture, recreation and sport.
  Men Women
Health 16.6% 10.3%
Sales and service 6.7% 8.3%
Art, culture, recreation and sport 24.2% 26.6%
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related 6.0% 7.3%
Manufacturing and utilities 3.1% 3.7%

Note: Workers include only those aged 15 and over.

Source: Sung-Hee Jeon, Huju Liu and Yuri Ostrovsky. Measuring the Gig Economy in Canada Using Administrative Data. Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series, no. 437. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11F0019M.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2019

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Catalogue no. 11-627-M

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