TORONTO – More and more Canadians are trying to increase their income by doing temporary freelance work, the so-called “gig”, in order to cope with the growing cost of living: this is what emerges from a new report conducted by the insurance company “Securian Canada” in collaboration with the Angus Reid Institute.

The “Securian” interviewed 1,515 Canadians in the Angus Reid Forum and asked how many earn an income “outside the standard employer-employee relationships”: a quarter of the interviewees answered that they do “gig” jobs, that is, short-term deadline, to be able to earn more in less time, because life is too expensive.

An example of “gig worker” is Cheryl Loh, a Vancouver-based freelance graphic designer, who told CBC (read the article here) she was able to keep up with the cost of living by leaving the traditional workforce to offer design services graphics. “I get to determine how I spend my day, and there’s no limit to the income I want to make” Loh said. “It’s all up to me”. Loh said she first entered the gig economy to launch a project: a line of greeting cards that he sold in his spare time. “In the beginning, it was very much just for fun” she said. “There was no pressure on it being a full-time income”. During the pandemic, Loh shifted gears: Her greeting cards took a backseat to her freelance graphic design work. Now, instead of having a regular salary, she works with clients who pay her for each project. While it may not have the same stability as a full-time job, Loh sets her own rates and hours and can choose which projects she takes on. And she estimates he earns more than he would with a normal full-time job. “It’s very difficult for me to imagine going back to a traditional job because I feel like I have so much more ownership of my time” she said.

Returning to the survey, younger workers are more likely to participate in “gig” work, with 30% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 participating in the gig economy. About 23% of respondents aged 35 to 54 said they were “gig” workers. Of those surveyed over 55, only 16% said they participated.

Sylvia Fuller, a labor market researcher at the University of British Columbia, said to CBC that the survey also sheds light on another fact: as workers turn to freelance or contract jobs, employers are actually driving a wider shift towards temporary work. According to the researcher, in fact, employers are less inclined to hire permanent workers, which involve costs, such as benefits or pensions. “This is really an employer-driven phenomenon” she said.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash