The so-called 'gig economy' is on the rise — here's what that means for Alberta workers

They're the people who pick you up in an Uber or deliver groceries to your door — so-called gig workers, referred to as "independent contractors" by the companies for which they work — and across Canada, there's an ongoing debate about the future of their industry.

Last month, a report from the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee recommended that those who work in the "gig economy" — for example, working for apps such as Uber and Skip The Dishes — should be guaranteed a minimum wage, along with some other protections.

No exact analog to that committee currently exists in Alberta. A spokesperson for Tyler Shandro, Alberta's minister of labour and immigration, said the provincial government's primary commitment is to support workers as the economy continues to recover.

"Alberta's government continues to monitor the gig economy, as it is an evolving sector with unique needs," said Joseph Dow in an email.

According to a study released by Statistics Canada in 2019, around eight per cent of all workers in Canada participated in gig work in 2016, up from 5.5 per cent in 2005. 

Efforts to update laws around how gig workers are paid and what benefits they are entitled to has been a contentious issue over the past few years. 

During the last federal election campaign, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said that the 1.7 million Canadians working in the gig economy were "left behind" during the pandemic.

An Alberta labour leader says despite the same issues existing for those participating in Alberta's gig economy — low wages, insecurity and lack of benefits — no conversation is being had provincially about the supports available for these workers.

"I'm profoundly concerned about the shift towards gig work," said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"It's bad for individual workers. But I would argue that it's just as bad for the economy, because when people are faced with that kind of insecurity, they can't participate in the economy in the same way as workers in other sectors."

Brandon Mundy is a delivery worker with Instacart, a grocery delivery service.

He previously delivered with food delivery platform DoorDash, but said he stopped working for that service due to long periods of delays between orders.

"It can get incredibly competitive these days, because of how saturated the delivery driver industry is right now," he said.

Even though Mundy said he tends to make more working with Instacart, he's noticed smaller payouts recently. Plus, he's been putting significant wear and tear on his vehicle.