Statistics Canada published a report in December 2019 that revealed some interesting trends about the country’s labor market. The report found that a significant number of Canadians were eking out their living in what is called the gig economy.
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Statistics Canada published a report in December 2019 that revealed some interesting trends about the country’s labor market. The report found that a significant number of Canadians were eking out their living in what is called the gig economy.
The gig economy is the arena where workers get gig work; that is, flexible and temporary jobs where people commonly work as freelancers and independent contractors. Despite the rise of this new economy, people are still unaware of what it means and where it is going.
In Canada, a Statista survey showed that most people are about working in the gig economy and what it entails.
Figure 1: What Canadians have to say about working in the gig economy (2019)
Taking paid surveys
Companies need constant feedback to gauge their products’ relevance and where to do it best than online? Survey companies take up these tasks, and they contract you to complete the survey in exchange for a small token. However, be prepared to share some personal information such as full names and, in some cases, contact details.
Take and sell photos
The photography industry in Canada is huge, with a $1 billion market size as of early 2020. But this statistic does not account for photo sales on stock photo sites like Cira and CanStockPhoto. These sites pay a certain percentage for every sale made via their platform. All you need to do is create an account, take some nice photos and post them!
Freelance writing
Canada has plenty of freelance writing gigs online. A simple google search will bring up such opportunities on sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed. Some of the popular segments are copywriting, writing content for blogs, and writing for media companies.
Participate in affiliate marketing
If you have a blog or website, affiliate marketing is an interestingly easy way to generate income online. Simply place links to products you are promoting and watch the magic happen. Companies often pay you as per every order made via the links.
Make YouTube videos
YouTube is a revolution, and those who learned to monetize their content are now living lavishly. Statistics show that nowhere else in the world do people spend more time on YouTube than in Canada. This means there is a great audience for your videos, as long as you find your niche and settle in well.
Review websites
E-commerce websites rely on positive reviews to drive traffic, build credibility, increase sales, and to improve SEO. Such websites will pay you to use their websites, say to purchase an item, and then write your feedback on such things as checkout, product range, and so on.
Write e-books
Sometimes you have a passion for writing stories or even cookbooks, and you wonder how to monetize this hobby. Plenty of sites, such as Amazon, accept e-books, and they pay writers commission/royalties for every sale made.
Dropshipping
The dropshipping model is the best when you want to sell products online. It entails purchasing products from third parties – usually low-priced yet quality items from China – and then have the third party ship the item directly to the buyer.
Review apps
Smartphone apps are all the rage today, and you will find an app for almost anything you can conceive. App developers usually need enough proof that their creations will achieve their goals when launched. Therefore, the developers assign certain companies to pilot their apps for useful insights. These companies then subcontract people like you to test the apps. This involves downloading the app, using it for a while, say a day or two, then write a short review capturing the experience you had.
Sell products via social media
Selling products via social media is easier and less costly compared to going for an e-commerce website. Given the pervasiveness of social media platforms and the number of people who spend a substantial amount of their time on them, you have a great opportunity to start a community that can buy your products. First, you need to create a huge presence by amassing as many followers as possible.
Create your e-commerce site
Not everyone is a fan of Amazon because sometimes costs could be beyond their reach or shipping takes too long. You can take advantage of such gaps and start selling products to people within your region. This venture is time-intensive because you need to update your site regularly and deal with incoming orders.
Become a public speaker
The average salary for a public speaking engagement in Canada is about $53,803, according to PayScale. You can take an offline gig, such as youth mentoring or speaking at seminars.
Place adverts on your car
During your daily commute, thousands of people see your car. What if you turn the empty spaces on the car into a billboard? You could earn some serious money for promoting products.
Become a dog trainer
Dog trainers make an average of $18.57 an hour in Canada. Imagine if you spared a couple of hours in the evenings and during weekends to teach dogs obedience? You could earn an average of $23,920 annually.
Do home repairs
Many Canadians lack the time to fix a leaking plumping or replace a broken window. If you can afford the time, you will find many such gigs on Craigslist and other sites.
Gig workers are online platform workers, independent contractors, or simply temporary workers. They work on-demand jobs that sometimes last just a few hours.
The classification of gig workers in Canada is an emotive issue that still attracts controversy. For example, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) classifies gig workers as independent contractors – hence self-employed – but there are calls to reclassify the workers as dependent contractors.
Because of the legal conundrum surrounding the classification of gig workers, there is a lack of clear standing on matters of minimum wage, employment insurance coverage, paid time off, and many other labor-related issues.
Gig jobs are an excellent source of extra income. Some of them are easy to do, and they require little to no financial investment.
The pay gig workers receive is sometimes too modest to justify the effort. Also, gig jobs do not have the kind of benefits you see in the full-time labor market.
