In the not too distant past, the idea of doing additional work outside of your day-to-day job was almost unheard of. But a surprising 15% of working-age Canadians now say they have a side hustle.

Whether it’s in pursuit of a passion, monetizing a hobby, gaining additional skills to further their careers, or simply as an additional source of income, more Canadians than ever are taking on work outside of their regular job.

Having a side hustle or side gig is a relatively new phenomenon. Over half of those surveyed (55%) have been doing their side job for under two years, but they’re very happy that they made the leap.

A huge 84% of side hustlers said they were happy with their extra job. The main benefits of side hustle work were found to be enjoying the work (22%), the freedom in the ability to choose when to work (21%) and how much work to do (17%).

The side gig economy is living proof that people aren’t always just what they seem on their LinkedIn profile. Some people have very unexpected side jobs.

The extra income side-hustle

Nathan Griffiths has a full-time job as an assistant winemaker at Maan Farms.

His side hustle in vacation rental management tops up his income every month.

He and his brothers manage properties in Whistler and Harrison Hot Springs, which gives him the freedom to enjoy these tourist hotspots whenever he likes and earn additional income by renting them out to holidaymakers.

Landlord or property manager was found to be the most common side hustle in Canada, with 14% of those surveyed renting out properties to earn additional income.

Out of all side hustles, landlords and property managers were found to make the most money per month on average ($1,650), but they spent the least amount of time on their side-hustle – just 6.9 hours per week.

If you’re a property or manager, keep track of your expenses – from toiletries to cleaning staff – with our expense tracker app.

The career-advancing side hustle

Robert Gauvreau has a full-time job as a founding partner of an accountancy firm, as well as a side job as a founding member of an incubation centre for entrepreneurs.

His side hustle saw him create a 38,000 square-foot incubation centre. This collaborative space for the next generation of entrepreneurs gives him the opportunity to help and support budding entrepreneurs.

If your side hustle involves helping others to succeed in their career, it’s easy for the line between work and free time to become blurred. Use the QuickBooks time tracking app, which features time management software to stay on top of your billable hours.

On average people spend 11.5 hours a week on their side hustle – on top of their full-time job this adds up to a lot of time spent working. But that doesn’t mean they’ve got money management down to a tee. Most side hustlers are paid by cash and e-transfer, with less than one-in-five paid through payroll.

Almost a fifth (17%) of side hustlers said that keeping track of taxes and finances was the main drawback or working an extra job. These individuals could save themselves stress, time, and money with online accounting software

The skill-sharing side hustle

Tanishah Nathoo is a senior manager at Hydro One by day, but in the evenings, she takes on an entirely different role as a synchronized skating coach.

Tutor or teacher was the second most common side hustle for Canadians, at 11%.

Tanishah’s side hustle lets her share her passion for skating with the next generation. She says coaching skating: “helps shape the community and teaches kids fundamentals that will carry over into other areas of their lives.”

Personal trainer/coach was found to be the most satisfying side hustle, with 63% of those asked saying they were very satisfied.

If you’re a personal trainer or coach, running back and forth between work, home and the gym, field or rink can burn through a lot of fuel. Use our mileage tracker to keep tabs on the fuel you use for work.

The creative outlet side hustle

Mike Lecky has a full-time job as a carpenter, but his side hustle – Vagabond Heart – involves creating stylish, vintage-inspired travel patches gives him a unique creative outlet inspired by his love of travel.

Making or selling crafts, arts or other creative items is the third most common side hustle in Canada, with 9% of side hustlers doing so to bring in extra income. However, an artistic side job contributes less than a quarter (23%) of their total income, which suggests it’s more important for them to have a creative outlet than it is to make money from it.

If you have a creative side hustle, you can keep track of your expansible payments – from art supplies to fabrics, materials and postage – with our expenses tracker.

Side hustles allow Canadians to explore their creative side, learn valuable business skills, earn additional income, and share their skills with others.

If you’re considering starting your own side hustle, Quickbooks accounting software, expenses tracker and other tools help you manage your business finances simply and efficiently.

15% of Canadians aged 18-65 from a survey of 2504 people