Close to 700,000 people turned to digital platforms for paid work in 2024, accounting for 2.3 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 69, Statistics Canada said.
These platforms, which include websites and apps that connect workers with clients and include services like Skip the Dishes and Uber, made it possible for individuals to deliver food, provide personal transport or create online content.
The agency reported that 498,000 Canadians provided services through digital platforms, with food or goods delivery topping the list at 266,000 people.
Another 154,000 performed personal transport work, and 39,000 created content such as videos or podcasts. An additional 54,000 rented out accommodations while offering some form of service, and 141,000 used platforms to sell goods.
Statistics Canada said the proportion of those doing platform-based work was higher among certain groups.
About 5.2 per cent of South Asian Canadians, 4.3 per cent of Black Canadians and 3.1 per cent of Chinese Canadians engaged in digital platform work, compared with 1.6 per cent of people who were not racialized or Indigenous. Recent immigrants who arrived in the past five years were more than three times as likely to work through online platforms, at 5.8 per cent. Men participated more than women, at 2.9 per cent compared with 1.7 per cent.
