Alberta tops list of people doing 'gig work' as main job: StatsCan

They're the people who pick you up in an Uber or deliver groceries to your door - and about five per cent of Alberta's workers do so-called "gig work" in their primary job, ac‐ cording to a new report from Statistics Canada.

Gig work, as defined by the report, refers to employ‐ ment that is characterized by short-term jobs or tasks, and which doesn't guarantee steady work and where the worker "must take specific actions to stay employed."

An estimated 116,700 working Albertans between the ages of 15 and 69 took on jobs that featured those characteristics consistent with the concept of gig work in the final three months of 2022, according to the latest data available.

Ontario saw 4.7 per cent of its workers taking on gig work in their main job, while British Columbia saw 3.6 per cent.

The data comes from Sta‐ tistics Canada's Labour Force Surveys (LFS) in 2022 and 2023. All estimates are asso‐ ciated with a margin of error.

In Ontario and B.C., legis‐ lation has been introduced to respond to the growing share of the workforce who partici‐ pate in such work.

In B.C., the provincial gov‐ ernment introduced pro‐ posed new standards for gig workers in November 2023, which would see a minimum wage, tip protection and workers' compensation cov‐ erage introduced. However, some critics, including the B.C. Federation of Labour, have said those measures don't go far enough.

The discussion has been going on even longer in On‐ tario.

Last month, dozens of ride-share and food-delivery drivers in Toronto staged a strike after a joint report from Ridefair Toronto and the Rideshare Drivers Associ‐ ation of Ontario suggested Toronto drivers could make as little as $6 an hour. Uber has disputed those numbers.

Despite the fact that Al‐ berta appears to be near the top of the list of the Statistics Canada report, neither legis‐ lation nor job action has ma‐ terialized in the province.

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Matt Jones, Alberta's minister of jobs, economy and trade, said app-based ride-hailing and food-delivery services provide flexible earning op‐ portunities for Albertans and convenience for customers, while contributing to the province's economy.

"Alberta's government continues to review informa‐ tion on how labour laws may affect this sector and to monitor developments in other jurisdictions," the state‐ ment reads.

"Occupational health and safety laws already apply to this sector while other labour laws may apply in certain sit‐ uations."

It's possible that what's been taking place demo‐ graphically may be part of Al‐ berta's position atop the StatsCan list, said Eric Myers, a professor of human re‐ sources and finance at Cal‐ gary's Mount Royal Univer‐ sity.

"Migration numbers show that more people are coming to Alberta," Myers said.

Research around the gig economy and its implications for Alberta workers is a top priority for the anti-poverty group Vibrant Communities Calgary this year, said Meaghon Reid, the group's executive director.

She said that the group thinks that high growth in newcomers may be leading to higher numbers of those doing app-based gig work.

Statistics Canada's De‐ cember 2023 Labour Force Survey stated that landed im‐ migrants accounted for 57.5 per cent of the 365,000 peo‐ ple who worked for either delivery apps or ride sharing in the 12 months ending in December 2023 across the country.

Nearly 900K did gig work as main job across Canada

Proponents of gig work argue that app-based platfor‐ ms like Uber and DoorDash provide flexibility, economic opportunities and crucial support systems for busi‐ nesses, consumers and workers, and that regulation risks destroying what makes the system unique.

"[The answer] is not dis‐ mantling the system," wrote Diana Palmerin-Velasco, se‐ nior director, future of work, with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in a recent edi‐ torial for the Globe and Mail.

"In adopting standards, we must be cognizant of the potential negative effects on individuals and businesses and find an answer that en‐ sures fairness without com‐ promising the value of gig work or the gig economy."

Across Canada, an aver‐ age of 871,000 people aged 15 to 69 did gig work as part of their main job in the final three months of 2022, ac‐ cording to StatsCan. An addi‐ tional 1.5 million people completed gig work at some point during the previous 12 months.

As the practice has be‐ come more widespread, more people have tried to work this way, according to Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Vancouverbased Centre for Future Work.

But the number of people who are actually able to earn a living doing it is surprisingly small in most cases, he said.

"The amount of time you typically spend waiting, un‐ paid for the app to give you another job can eat up half or more of your total work‐ day," Stanford said.

"Even if you seemed to make OK money when you had a passenger in the car or a meal to deliver, at the end of the day, especially after you've paid for your ex‐ penses, you can be left with just a few dollars."

Stanford said it would be possible to put in place nor‐ mal minimum wages and other basic protections in platform work.

"The whole idea of rideshare or food delivery can certainly carry on with fairer circumstances. But our governments have been slow figuring out exactly how to do that," he said.

"Elsewhere in the world, it is happening, and we can learn from those experi‐ ences. And ultimately, we'll have to replicate those poli‐ cies in Canada too."

The European Union ini‐ tially announced draft legisla‐ tion that would give gig work‐ ers employee rights in De‐ cember 2021. Those regula‐ tions finally moved forward last week, and would impact an estimated 28 million workers.