Emergent Employment

Working patterns, relationships, and norms are changing. Recently, gig work and remote work have been at the heart of these changes, yet their implications for the world of work remain uncertain. This report investigates these two phenomena and their roles in the future of work (particularly in the Canadian context) using a review of existing data and literature, web scraping of job postings, interviews with 19 subject matter experts, and a survey of 1507 individuals—two-thirds of whom were remote or gig workers. Combined, these methods outline key characteristics and challenges of evolving forms of work in Canada, how they have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what might be expected for gig and remote work in the coming years. Namely, the report highlights how demand for flexibility has influenced gig and remote work, how technological development is only one factor driving changes to work, and how precarity and inequality are likely to be significant challenges for the future of work. Finally, a set of recommendations are provided to navigate gig and remote work in future years.