An increasing number of Canadians are turning to side hustles to pay the bills, and many of those gigs have the potential to scale into small businesses, says the CEO of Ownr, an RBC-owned incorporation and registration platform.
“What starts out as a side hustle, a passion project or a small opportunity or niche that someone has identified, can eventually turn into a full-time business,” Jordan Casey told BNN Bloomberg in an interview on Thursday.
“Side hustles are becoming a big pathway into business ownership.”
Casey’s comments came after Ownr and RBC released new data suggesting nearly a quarter of Canadians earn extra money through a side gig.
“Another 25 per cent are thinking about pursuing one… I think that’s really encouraging to see that Canadians are looking towards alternative sources of income in a pretty challenging macroeconomic environment,” he said.
According to survey data from Ownr, financial challenges are the main motivation for Canadians who have taken up side hustles.
Thirty-nine per cent of respondents said they were looking to supplement their regular income, while 33 per cent cited rising living costs, and another 26 per cent said they turned to side hustles to pay down existing debt.
“What that tells me is households are really stretching to keep up, but they’re not being passive about it, and I think that’s the encouraging thing,” said Casey.
“They’re taking action and they’re building something.”
‘Necessity and opportunity’
Casey argued that in addition to necessity, opportunity is the other main driver of growth in the gig economy, as more Canadians with thriving side hustles set their sights higher.
“What the data is telling us is that it’s both a product of necessity and opportunity,” he said.
“Nearly one in five side hustlers say they’re likely to go full time, and that’s closer to three in 10 amongst the Gen Z audience.”
In a release detailing Ownr’s findings, Casey said the survey data suggests there is plenty of untapped “entrepreneurial ambition” in Canada, but when side hustlers do decide to take the leap towards business ownership, they often falter.
“That’s where it gets hard,” Casey said in the release.
For people who have picked up a side hustle they believe can grow into a full-time endeavor, it takes time and expertise to understand the complexities involved in the process - two things usually in short supply for busy, working Canadians.
“Where people stall is all the administrative stuff, right? And there’s a huge confidence gap. More than a third of entrepreneurs don’t know when they’re required to register, and nearly 40 per cent don’t understand the legal or compliance requirements that apply to them,” said Casey.
“I think the ambition is there amongst Canadians, but where they need support is clarity on that next step.”
Methodology
The findings mentioned are from an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of Ownr between September 1 and 8, 2026. A total sample of n=1,501 Canadians aged 18+ participated via Ipsos’ online panel.
Quotas and weighting were used to align the sample with Canadian population statistics based on census parameters. The credibility interval for the total sample is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Unless otherwise noted, questions asked only of respondents who reported having a side hustle are based on a subsample of n=834 and have a credibility interval of ±4.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Credibility intervals are larger for demographic and other subgroups of the population.
