A new study by the Angus Reid Institute has found that more than 40% of Canadian millennials have participated in the "gig economy" over the past five years.
Specifically, the survey found that 42% of males and 45% of females aged 18-to-34 have conducted work on a freelance or independent contract basis since 2014. The millennial generation is comprised of people born between 1980 and the early 2000s.
Nearly half of the survey respondents who said they "need" freelance and contract work were between the ages of 25 and 44, according to Angus Reid. The results found that participation in piecemeal employment was most prevalent for Canadians pulling in less than $50,000 annually.
However, the contrast work being done is not the traditionally thought-of "side hustles" such as driving a car with Uber or renting out a house on Airbnb. Instead, Angus Reid said, the freelance work being done is mostly "white collar." In nature.
Among those getting by on informal employment, 36% described their primary employment as "office work," including computer programming, graphic design and editing documents. Other popular types of work among respondents included personal assistant services, maintenance or handiwork, and babysitting.
Half of the survey respondents said they were taking freelance and contract work to bring in extra cash. However, nearly 30% of respondents said they would not be able to make ends meet without the informal work, with 13% of respondents citing a difficulty finding full-time work or having "no other options."
The survey polled 1,510 members of the Angus Reid Forum via an online survey between November 8 and 12, 2019.
