SIDE HUSTLESSide income is common in Canada — but the official numbers are more modest than social media suggests. Here's what Statistics Canada actually found.
The headline numbers
- 871,000 Canadians aged 15–69 had a main job with gig-work characteristics in late 2022.
- Another 1.5 million had done some gig work in the previous 12 months.
- 468,000 Canadians did digital platform work (paid directly by an app) in the 12 months ending December 2023.
What this tells us
Most side earners do it alongside a main job, not instead of one. That matches what we see in our own guides: realistic passive and semi-passive hustles usually add a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars a month, not a full salary.
Using the numbers to set goals
- Start with one asset you already own (parking, gear, a car) before buying anything.
- Budget 6–12 months before digital products earn meaningfully.
- Set aside 25–30% of income for tax so the CRA bill isn't a shock.
We'll update these figures as Statistics Canada releases new data.