Gig work mostly used to supplement Canadians’ household income, studies show

TransUnion study based off Statistics Canada numbers found majority of gig workers were employed full time

Published May 26, 2026  •  2 minute read

Travellers walk past an Uber sign at Trudeau Airport in Montreal on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. Photo by (John Mahoney / MONTREAL GAZETTE)

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A less traditional work model is gaining popularity in Canada.

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A recent survey from TransUnion suggested that gig work plays a meaningful and often complementary role in household income.

Titled The Gig Economy in Canada: Rethinking Credit Risk, Inclusion, and Market Opportunity, the report highlighted the growing importance of gig workers, who represent about 11% of Canada’s workforce.

Gig work spans a wide variety of industries, ranging from unskilled tasks like dog walking and Uber driving to specialized services like tutoring, photography, web development and graphic design.

Specialized services made up 30% of the gig workforce, while selling items online was second at 26% with freelance digital services rounding out the top three at 21%.

Majority of gig workers have full-time job

The TransUnion study, based off Statistics Canada numbers from 2024, found that a majority of gig workers were also employed full time.

“Sixty-three per cent of gig workers (earned) a salary or hourly wage from a full-time occupation,” the study said. “With nearly 40% netting between $1,000 and more than $4,000 per month after expenses from their gig work.”

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A more recent study by Canadian HRReporter suggested that about 7.3 million Canadian adults were doing gig work, which equated to about 22% of work-eligible Canadians.

Securian Canada CEO Nigel Branker said follow-up polling conducted 18 months after the company’s initial 2024 research showed that participation remains steady.

“(It is) pretty steady at seven million-plus Canadians participating in gig work, unchanged from ’24 to ’25,” Branker said in a release, indicating that gig work is “more structural … it’s no longer a side hustle.”

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Gig work most popular with millennials

Gig work trends also spanned across generations as 34% of millennials hold down a full-time job in addition to their side hustle. The TransUnion study said 27% of generation X workers had a side job and 17% of generation Z adults also had a second job.

Generation Z is classified as being born between 1995 and 2004, millennials between 1980 and 1994 and generation X between 1965 and 1979.

Gig work also seemed to be evolving from a short-term solution into a sustained portion of household income.

“Seventy-one per cent of gig workers do not plan to leave this type of work in the near term, 34% expect to maintain current hours, while 20% plan to increase participation,” the report said.

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