What the Report Found  

• Gig workers in Alberta earn approximately $15,000 to $25,000 less annually than those in more conventional jobs. Nationally, 29% of gig workers earn below the minimum wage, compared to just 1% of workers in conventional jobs.   
• In Alberta, gig work is more common amongst women and older populations. The most common types of gig work are delivery services, followed by professional services, and ride-sharing services. Women are less likely to be engaged in ridesharing and food delivery but more likely to be involved in house-sitting and medical services than men. This likely indicates gendered concerns about safety for certain types of gig work.  
• Alberta’s gig workers were more likely than non-gig workers to hold multiple jobs and to consider a part-time job their primary employer. This trend suggests that gig workers may have greater financial need and vulnerability than other segments of Alberta’s workforce.   
• Gig workers are substantially less likely to receive employer-sponsored benefits compared to non-gig workers.  
• Although the flexibility of gig work was noted as a benefit, concerns about safety, exploitation, and low pay were also raised during interviews with gig workers.   

What the Report Recommends  

• Expanding employment standards to include protections for gig workers, following examples in British Columbia and Ontario.   
• Broadening minimum wage protections for gig workers to protect them from subminimum wages for engaged time at work.   
• Providing protections for all workers, including gig workers, which prevent employers from withholding tips and other compensation.    

• Adopting automatic tax filing for all low-income workers, including gig workers, ensuring they will automatically receive the benefits to which they are entitled.    
• Providing sick leave, parental leave, workers' compensation, and other portable benefits to gig workers. This could be co-financed through a surcharge on gig-economy transactions, paid by end-users, as well as through employer contributions.   

• Providing education that informs gig workers of their rights, options, and how to optimize their earning potential (e.g., filing taxes, claiming mileage, incorporating, retirement planning, etc.).   
• Developing an impartial body responsible for resolving disputes within the gig economy, whether between platforms and workers, or workers and end-users. They could also serve as a body to track complaints filed against online platforms.   

About the Social Policy Collaborative