Half of Canadians Have Side Hustles, with Online Sales Leading the Way

Half of side hustlers aspire to go full-time, though 62.6% currently earn less than $500 per month

Marketing automation platform Omnisend surveyed 1,000 Canadians about their side jobs and found that 45.4% are actively engaged in a side-hustle, while 49.9% of them wish to make it their full-time job.

The most popular side gig is ecommerce, with 53.4% of side hustlers saying they’re selling items online. Freelancing (i.e. writing, programming) and teaching/tutoring followed suit, with 23% and 10.1% respectively.

Of those with an ecommerce store, 27% already have plans to make it their full-time job.

“Unlike freelancing or gig work, which maxes out when you run out of time, ecommerce can scale with fewer limitations, so it isn’t a surprise so many people are doing it,” says Greg Zakowicz, Senior Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend. 

“The popularity of ecommerce also shows that the field is increasingly more saturated. So while it does offer much more scalability compared to other side jobs, it also comes with more risk and requires a lot of careful planning, consistent effort in marketing, and the right tools for automation and logistics.”

Most earn less than $500, a lucky 2% earn more than $5,000

Money-wise, 62.6% say their side hustle earns them less than $500 per month. Only 8.7% of respondents indicate that it earns them upwards of $1,000, with 1.8% earning $5,000 and more.

“What’s often overlooked is the growing competition in the side hustle space. As platforms make it easier to sell, crowded marketplaces for products or skills leave most people stuck earning smaller amounts,” says Omnisend’s Greg Zakowicz.

“Yet, with 8.7% of respondents earning more than $1,000 per month, there’s potential for significant income. However, scaling operations to reach beyond this level often requires making their side job their primary one — a risky step that 50% are considering, but way less end up going through with.”

Time constraints & financial burdens force many to quit early

Sustaining a side hustle over time proves difficult for many, as the majority of respondents have been engaged in their side hustle for less than a year (50.4%). A further 31.5% have been at it for between 2-5 years, and 18.2% have had their side hustle for more than 5 years.

Further data reveals that 40.7% of those who no longer have a side hustle, quit because of time constraints. Another 22.7% quoted earning less money than anticipated, while a further 16.5% said Burnout was the reason they had to stop.

Tips for side hustlers wanting to grow their venture

To grow your side hustle sustainably, Greg Zakowicz, Senior Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend recommends the following:

Methodology

The survey was commissioned by Omnisend and conducted by Cint in August 2024. A total of 4,000 respondents were surveyed across the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Quotas were placed on age, gender, and place of residence to achieve a nationally representative sample among users. The margin of error is +/-3 percent.