Contractors, or Employees? A deep-dive into the Identity and Structure of Gig Economy Workers


Nicole Jokinen-Hurl, Trent University

In December 2023, Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey revealed that “135,000 Canadians between the ages of 16 and 69 provided ride-sharing services in 2023, an increase of 48.1 per cent compared to 2022. Meanwhile, the number of people who provided delivery services through apps climbed 19.2 per cent from the previous year to 272,000 people.” (2024). With increasing evidence that gig economy jobs such as rideshare and food delivery services are rapidly spreading through the Canadian labour market, it is important to explore these workers’ experiences and identities, and examine the legal challenges they face in asserting their workplace rights. This paper will present the results of my Undergraduate Honors Thesis project, which explores the experiences of food delivery and ride-share workers in Peterborough, Ontario. Participants were recruited digitally, via the online platforms Facebook, Reddit, and Quora, as well as in person, through the community of Peterborough. Through nine open-ended interviews conducted with anonymous participants working in food delivery and rideshare jobs through apps such as UberEats and YDrive in Peterborough, I explore the question of gig workers’ identity, that is, how they see themselves within the context of the dispute over whether they are independent contractors or employees. According to the research that has occurred, approximately 66.7% of participants believe that they are contractors, while 22.2% believe they are employees, 11.1% believing they are a combination of the two. The results of this research provides a localised insight into just how heavily affected individuals are by the state of these gig jobs, departing from bigger cities’ perspectives through the eyes of more ‘geographically tethered’ workers. They are argued within this paper to be under the strain and precarity of lack of available benefits, as well as constant surveillance through consumerism. The lack of awareness and identity of these workers is believed to also contribute to this strain. Although all of the interviews have occurred as of January 28th, 2024, this research writing is still in progress, expected to be fully completed before May 2024. This paper is believed to be extremely vital for discussion and review regarding the “(WPO2) Gig economy, labour movements and platform capitalism in the Global South and Global North” session occurring this June, as the gig economy continues to grow and gain more awareness to Canadians. 

This paper will be presented at the following session: