667,000 people aged 15 to 69 did paid work through a website or app in the 12 months to December 2025, 2.3% of that population in the provinces and little changed from 671,000 a year earlier (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey). On the official measure, platform work in Canada did not grow last year.
Any reading of 2024 as a surge rests on a change of definition: Statistics Canada measured 2023 two ways and 2024 a third, so the totals do not line up. The movement is underneath. Personal transport rose from 135,000 people in 2023 to 184,000 in 2025, and recent immigrants are now about six times as likely as people born in Canada to do platform work, 8.4% against 1.5%.
The brief
- 667,000
People aged 15 to 69 who did paid platform work in the 12 months to December 2025, against 671,000 a year earlier, a change Statistics Canada calls little changed (Statistics Canada).
- +36%
Growth in platform personal transport from 2023 to 2025, from 135,000 people to 184,000, while delivery went from 278,000 to 272,000 (Statistics Canada, our calculation).
- 21.8%
Share of people who did platform work in the 12 months to December 2025 who were doing it as part of their main job or business that December (Statistics Canada).
- 8.4%
Share of recent immigrants who did platform work in the 12 months to December 2025, up 2.7 points in a year, against 1.5% of people born in Canada (Statistics Canada).
Insight 01
The count held at about 667,000, and the “surge” of 2024 was a change of definition
Since 2024, Statistics Canada has counted people paid through websites or apps that “coordinated their work activities or managed payments”: 667,000 in the 12 months to December 2025 and 671,000 a year earlier, first published as 665,000. Both are 2.3% of people aged 15 to 69.
December 2023 has no matching figure. Statistics Canada published two: a narrow count of people paid by the platform itself, 468,000 (1.7%), and a broad count adding people paid directly by clients found through a platform, 927,000 (3.3%). Its 2023 paper also described a middle tier, platforms that coordinate or control the work without paying, but gave no total. The current wording reads to us like that tier, which would put later counts between the two 2023 estimates by construction.
Set the first published 2024 figure, 665,000, against the narrow 468,000 and it looks like a 42% jump. Against the broad 927,000, it looks like a 28% fall. Neither measures a change in how many people did the work. Statistics Canada itself compared only delivery and personal transport with 2023, not the totals.
| Estimate | Who counts | People | Share aged 15 to 69 |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2023, narrow | Paid by the platform | 468,000 | 1.7% |
| December 2023, broad | Paid by the platform or directly by clients found through it | 927,000 | 3.3% |
| December 2024 | Platform coordinated the work or managed payments | 671,000 (first published as 665,000) | 2.3% |
| December 2025 | Platform coordinated the work or managed payments | 667,000 | 2.3% |
None of these is the whole gig economy. Tax records counted about 1.7 million self-employed gig workers in 2016, 8.2% of workers, with a median net gig income of $4,303; a survey module found 871,000 doing gig work in their main job in late 2022 (Statistics Canada). These do not stack into a trend with the platform series.
Insight 02
Personal transport grew 36% in two years while delivery stayed flat
Delivery of food or other goods is still the largest platform activity, at 272,000 people in the 12 months to December 2025 (Statistics Canada), and it is not growing: 278,000 in 2023 and 263,000 in 2024 put 2025 at 2.2% below 2023, by our calculation.
Personal transport went from 135,000 people in 2023 to 151,000 in 2024 and 184,000 in 2025. That is 49,000 more, a 36% increase, two-thirds of it in the last year, and about 28% of platform workers against 23% a year earlier (our calculation). The survey does not say why, and we will not guess.
| Activity and year | People (thousands) |
|---|---|
| Delivery, 2023 | |
| Delivery, 2024 | |
| Delivery, 2025 | |
| Personal transport, 2023 | |
| Personal transport, 2024 | |
| Personal transport, 2025 |
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, January 10, 2025 and January 9, 2026. The 2023 figures are those Statistics Canada used for its own comparison in the 2024 release. Bar widths are relative to the largest value.
Below the top two, the counts thin out. In 2024, the latest full breakdown, 138,100 people sold goods, 63,200 rented out accommodation, goods or equipment with some work involved, and 39,600 created content (Statistics Canada). Content creation and every smaller category are flagged use with caution.
Insight 03
Only 21.8% of platform workers count it as their main job; most started to top up another income
Among people who did platform work in the 12 months to December 2025, 21.8% were doing it as part of their main job or business in December (Statistics Canada). That is roughly 145,000 people, by our calculation. The rest did it on the side or had stopped.
As their main reason for starting, 45.6% gave supplementing a main job or earning extra money, 15.4% difficulty finding other work and 14.2% flexible hours or convenience. The other 24.8% is our remainder; the release does not break it out.
| Main reason | Share |
|---|---|
| Supplement a main job or earn extra money | |
| Difficulty finding other work | |
| Flexible hours or convenience | |
| All other reasons |
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, January 9, 2026. “All other reasons” is our calculation as the remainder to 100%.
For most, this is a top-up, and the 2016 tax data fits: a median net gig income of $4,303 is a side income, not a living. The exception is the one in seven who started because they could not find other work; for them, by their own account, the app was a fallback. Our guide to side hustles in Canada in 2026 covers options beyond apps.
15.4%Share of platform workers in the 12 months to December 2025 who started mainly because they had difficulty finding other work (Statistics Canada).
Insight 04
Recent immigrants do platform work at 8.4%, against 1.5% of people born in Canada, and the gap widened in a year
Among recent immigrants, people who landed in Canada in the previous five years, 8.4% did platform work in the 12 months to December 2025, against 1.5% of people born in Canada (Statistics Canada). Statistics Canada calls that about six times higher; the exact ratio is 5.6.
In one year the recent-immigrant rate rose 2.7 percentage points while the Canadian-born rate slipped 0.1. A year earlier the published rates were 5.6% and 1.6%, “more than three times” apart. With the national rate unchanged, our reading is that the workforce changed in make-up more than in size.
| Group and year | Share of group |
|---|---|
| Recent immigrants, 2025 | |
| Recent immigrants, 2024 | |
| South Asian, 2024 | |
| Black, 2024 | |
| Chinese, 2024 | |
| Men, 2024 | |
| All people aged 15 to 69, 2025 | |
| Women, 2024 | |
| Born in Canada, 2024 | |
| Not racialized or Indigenous, 2024 | |
| Born in Canada, 2025 |
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily, January 10, 2025 and January 9, 2026. Gender and population group rates were not published for 2025. Bar widths are relative to the largest value.
Our interpretation, which the survey cannot test: platform work asks for little that a newcomer lacks. No Canadian work history is checked, no credential needs recognizing, and pay starts with the first trip. That makes it a usable bridge, in work Statistics Canada says typically offers “short-term tasks and limited job security”.
In 2024, South Asian (4.9%), Black (4.2%) and Chinese (3.0%) Canadians were well above people who were not racialized or Indigenous (1.6%), and men (2.9%) above women (1.7%) (Statistics Canada). These groups overlap with recent immigrants, so the rates are not separate effects.
Insight 05
BC’s $21.89 floor covers engaged time only, which can mean about $13.13 per logged-in hour
Since September 3, 2024, British Columbia has set a pay floor for app-based ride-hail and delivery workers, covering engaged time from accepting an assignment to completing it. It launched at 120% of the general minimum wage, $20.88, rose to $21.43 on June 1, 2025 and is $21.89 from June 1, 2026, against a general minimum of $18.25 (Government of BC). Platforms must also pay at least $0.45 per km for ride-hail and $0.35 for delivery, and pass on all tips, which do not count toward the floor.
Ontario’s Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 took effect on July 1, 2025, according to the province and a Hicks Morley legal summary. It sets pay at no less than the general minimum wage for engaged time, excluding tips, and requires a recurring pay day and two weeks’ notice before a removal of 24 hours or more, with exceptions. Ontario’s general minimum wage is $17.95 from October 1, 2026, up from $17.60 (Government of Ontario).
The catch is the word engaged. Waiting for the next ping is unpaid under both rules, which is why BC added a 20% premium. As an illustration only: a BC worker engaged for 60% of logged-in time is guaranteed $21.89 × 0.6 = $13.13 per logged-in hour, before tips and vehicle allowance. Matching the $18.25 general minimum across every logged-in hour takes about 83% engaged time.
| Share of logged-in time spent engaged | BC floor per logged-in hour ($21.89) | Ontario floor per logged-in hour ($17.95) |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | $21.89 | $17.95 |
| 80% | $17.51 | $14.36 |
| 60% | $13.13 | $10.77 |
| 40% | $8.76 | $7.18 |
Our calculation: floor rate times engaged share, before tips, vehicle allowance, fuel, insurance and tax. The floor is what a slow shift is guaranteed, not what a busy one pays.
Then there is the Canada Pension Plan. Self-employed platform workers pay both halves: in 2026, 11.90% of net earnings above the $3,500 basic exemption, up to $8,460.90 on earnings of $74,600 (CRA). On $15,000 of net gig income and no other job, that is (15,000 – 3,500) × 0.119 = $1,368.50, about 9.1% of income or $114 a month, by our calculation. An employee would pay half, $684.25. Earnings from $74,600 up to $85,000 also attract CPP2.
The bill arrives with the tax return, not with each payout. The take-home pay calculator shows the employee side of a regular job, and our guide to cash advances for gig workers in Canada covers short gaps between app payouts and bills.
$1,368.502026 self-employed CPP on $15,000 of net gig income, by our calculation from CRA rates.
What this data can’t tell you
- There are no published 2025 figures by age, province, education, hours or earnings, and group rates stop at 2024. We have not estimated any.
- The survey covers people aged 15 to 69 in the provinces. The territories are excluded.
- The 2023 totals use different definitions from 2024 and 2025 and cannot be compared with them. The 2023 delivery (277,600) and personal transport (135,200) counts are identical under the broad and coordination-or-control definitions in Statistics Canada’s 2023 paper, so the activity comparison is much less exposed, but not proven like-for-like.
- “Selling goods online” in 2025 (92,000) and “sold goods” in 2024 (138,000) are worded differently, so we have not treated the gap as a decline.
- Nobody publishes how much of their logged-in time Canadian platform workers spend engaged. The per-logged-in-hour figures are illustrations.
- One delivery in 12 months and 50 hours a week count the same.
- Reasons for starting describe motives when people began, possibly years earlier, not why they continue.
Methodology and sources
Platform work figures come from the Labour Force Survey supplement on digital platform employment, collected each December and published in The Daily on January 9, 2026 (for 2025) and January 10, 2025 (for 2024). The 2024 total was first published as 665,000 and revised to 671,000 in January 2026; we use 671,000 for year-on-year comparisons. The implied 2024 recent-immigrant rate (8.4% less 2.7 points, or 5.7%) differs from the 5.6% first published; we report both as published. The 2023 narrow (468,000) and broad (927,000) estimates and activity counts come from The Daily of March 4, 2024 and its research paper, which describes a coordination-or-control tier without a total; matching the 2024 wording to that tier is our interpretation. Tax-data figures (about 1.7 million, 8.2% of workers, median net gig income $4,303, all 2016) come from The Daily of December 16, 2019.
Our calculations: personal transport growth, 184,000 ÷ 135,000 = 1.363, or +36%; share of that growth in the last year, (184,000 – 151,000) ÷ 49,000 = 67%; delivery change, 272,000 ÷ 278,000 = 0.978, or -2.2%; transport share of the total, 184,000 ÷ 667,000 = 27.6% in 2025 and 151,000 ÷ 671,000 = 22.5% in 2024; main-job count, 0.218 × 667,000 = about 145,000; the cross-definition comparisons, 665,000 ÷ 468,000 = 1.421, or +42%, and 665,000 ÷ 927,000 = 0.717, or -28%; immigrant ratio, 8.4 ÷ 1.5 = 5.6; other reasons, 100 – 45.6 – 15.4 – 14.2 = 24.8%. Pay illustration: $21.89 × 0.6 = $13.13; break-even engaged share $18.25 ÷ $21.89 = 83.4%; Ontario $17.95 × 0.6 = $10.77; other rows use 0.8 and 0.4. CPP: (15,000 – 3,500) × 0.119 = $1,368.50, which is 9.1% of $15,000 and $114 a month; maximum (74,600 – 3,500) × 0.119 = $8,460.90, matching the CRA maximum; employee half (15,000 – 3,500) × 0.0595 = $684.25. The CPP2 ceiling of $85,000 is from secondary reporting of the 2026 limits.
- Statistics Canada, The Daily, Labour Force Survey, December 2025 (January 9, 2026)
- Statistics Canada, The Daily, Labour Force Survey, December 2024 (January 10, 2025)
- Statistics Canada, Number of persons who did paid work through digital platforms by type of activity, 2024 (January 10, 2025)
- Statistics Canada, The Daily, Defining and measuring the gig economy using survey data (March 4, 2024)
- Statistics Canada, Defining and measuring the gig economy using survey data (2024)
- Statistics Canada, The Daily, Study: Measuring the gig economy in Canada using administrative data (December 16, 2019)
- Government of British Columbia, Fair pay, basic protections coming for gig workers (June 12, 2024)
- Government of British Columbia, Minimum wage (accessed October 2026)
- Government of Ontario, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Minimum wage (accessed October 2026)
- Government of Ontario, Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 (accessed October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions (accessed October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, Revised tax obligations for commercial ridesharing and delivery services (2024)
- Hicks Morley, Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 in force July 1, 2025 (law firm summary, September 2024)
Frequently asked questions
How many Canadians do gig work?
667,000 Canadians aged 15 to 69 did paid work through a digital platform or app in the 12 months to December 2025, 2.3% of that population and little changed from 671,000 a year earlier (Statistics Canada). Wider definitions give higher counts, such as about 1.7 million self-employed gig workers in 2016 tax data (Statistics Canada).
Is the gig economy growing in Canada?
Not overall: 667,000 people did platform work in the 12 months to December 2025 against 671,000 a year earlier, which Statistics Canada calls little changed. Personal transport grew from 135,000 people in 2023 to 184,000 in 2025, while delivery stayed between 263,000 and 278,000 (Statistics Canada). The 2023 totals used different definitions.
What is the minimum wage for Uber and DoorDash workers in BC?
From June 1, 2026, app-based ride-hail and delivery workers in BC must earn at least $21.89 per hour of engaged time, plus at least $0.45 per km for ride-hail or $0.35 per km for delivery, with tips paid on top (Government of BC). Time spent waiting between assignments is not covered by the floor.
Do gig workers pay CPP in Canada?
Yes: in 2026, self-employed gig workers pay 11.90% of net earnings above $3,500, covering both the employee and employer halves, up to a maximum of $8,460.90 (CRA). On $15,000 of net gig income that comes to $1,368.50, by our calculation.
Who is most likely to do gig work in Canada?
Recent immigrants are, at 8.4% in the 12 months to December 2025 against 1.5% of people born in Canada (Statistics Canada). In the 12 months to December 2024, men (2.9%) were more likely than women (1.7%), and South Asian (4.9%) and Black (4.2%) Canadians had the highest rates among population groups (Statistics Canada).
Cite this report
NotchUp Research, “Gig Work in Canada 2026: The Real Numbers” (October 2026), https://notchup.app/learn/gig-work-canada-2026/. Figures may be reproduced with attribution.
