Interim Update from the Resilient Workforce Working Table

Early insights 

Across all meetings, the Resilient Workforce Working Table affirmed a number of conditions that should be in place for Canada to have a resilient workforce. The table members – representing years of experience across multiple domains – made clear that building a resilient workforce in Canada requires collaboration, and approaches that are responsive and adaptable. Workforce policies and programming need to be informed by high-quality labour market data (i.e., publicly available regular forecasts, analyses, and projections of labour demand), be supported by high-quality training and education, and not be burdened by administrative red tape. In addition to those overarching conditions, a number of early insights have emerged from the Working Table discussions.

Navigating workforce disruptions

The policy question: what are effective, creative, and specific approaches to support the workers, sectors and regions most impacted by U.S. tariffs and related disruptions (e.g., adoption of AI)? 

The first major theme focused on understanding and responding to some of the needs of sectors and populations expected to face significant impacts in 2025 and beyond. These include manufacturing, motion picture and sound recording, and oil and gas extraction sectors; men with low formal education attainment, youth, and workers nearing retirement age; and trade vulnerable regions like Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. The Working Table’s discussions have surfaced the major distinctions between regions in their needs and approaches. The Working Table also highlighted the impacts of artificial intelligence on the workforce – anxieties of automation and possible displacement of workers, alongside the potential benefits of AI through increased productivity. 

The Working Table considered active labour market policies that could support skills and employment in the face of disruption (e.g., training, wage subsidies, job creation, support for entrepreneurship, and employment services), and other system-level and supportive labour market policies to inform current and future needs related to employment and skills training (e.g., labour market information and skills pathway mapping). 

Insights from these discussions included:

1. Employer investment and engagement in quality training can help ease transitions during labour force disruptions, and a range of tools and incentives could be used to encourage employers to invest in training. A number of approaches were discussed, including the use of mandated or pooled employer training investments including Ireland’s national training fund and Quebec’s 1% fund, as well as incentives like “pay-for-performance.”
2. To support career transitions, initiatives that support workers to identify and define their skillsets paired with guidance can help direct workers to suitable up/reskilling or job opportunities. Newcomers and young people entering the workforce might need added support in defining their skills and experience so that employers can easily recognize the skills they are looking for in those workers. 
3. In cases where fast transitions are needed, short, targeted training and up/reskilling initiatives are helpful options in certain, but not all, sectors. Short courses are helpful options in cases where skills gaps can be bridged through targeted training, but not necessarily suitable for skilled trades like construction. Systems that are responsive and ready to deploy support for workers quickly during disruptions are critical to produce good outcomes for affected workers, sectors, and communities.
4. Including industry and labour in labour market policy development and planning is critical for success, as is including labour market planning alongside the development of major projects that will require a significant number of skilled workers. Coordinating labour market policies alongside key industry players and workers helps to increase the likelihood of successful implementation. 
   

Training and upskilling pathways for a resilient workforce 

The policy question: how can we ensure a range of training and upskilling pathways to support a resilient workforce?

The second main theme of the Working Table discussions focused on opportunities to address gaps in the available training and upskilling pathways and to improve their effectiveness and resilience. That could include looking at the types of training opportunities (e.g., short courses, apprenticeships) and their relative effectiveness; the supports that foster successful career transitions (e.g., work-to-work, school-to-work); and the relationships or partnerships that support a strong skills ecosystem.

The Working Table generated ideas across a spectrum from the individual to system level and over the short-, medium- and long-term. This included ideas to support individual needs as a person navigates a career transition (e.g., career services), sector/organization-level needs as they adapt to changing labour market conditions (e.g., training funding), and system-level needs that will support resilience for years to come (e.g., timely and regional LMI). 

Insights from these discussions included:

1. Aligning formal education, training, and upskilling opportunities with shifting labour market demand can support better outcomes for people. This might include introducing students early to in-demand skills and potential career pathways in their region.
2. Focusing on expanding training opportunities for sectors facing chronic and critical shortages can support effective workforce planning. This might include options to fast-track high school students to in-demand careers (e.g., early apprenticeship, PSE credits).
3. Understanding and addressing barriers to accessing training and upskilling opportunities for equity-deserving and underrepresented groups can help to increase their participation in the labour market. By consulting directly with underrepresented groups to understand their needs, targeted training solutions can be developed and/or scaled to increase their participation in in-demand careers. A growing evidence base exists to draw on the most effective approaches. A growing evidence base exists to draw on the most effective approaches.
   

Ensuring a strong labour supply 

The policy question: how can we ensure a strong labour supply in Canada, where no Canadians get left behind?

The third main theme looked at how to support a strong labour supply by ensuring that a resilient workforce is:

• Easy to enter (i.e., supports career navigation and skills recognition);
• Easy to return to (i.e., supports workers to re-enter the labour market after life disruptions); and 
• Easy to remain in (i.e., keeps mid-career and long-tenured workers attached to the labour market even as personal circumstances, workforce and economic conditions change). 

The Working Table discussion took note of the important context of policy changes and economic conditions that impact overall labour supply (e.g., the new immigration levels plan, changes that impact the post-secondary education sector). In terms of potential responses, the discussion focused on interventions within the skills and employment policy landscape.

Insights from these discussions included:

1. Meaningful consultations with underrepresented groups can help to understand and address barriers preventing successful workforce entry or re-entry. Ideally, consultations should continue throughout a career to ensure these groups remain in the workforce.
2. Recent increases in youth unemployment suggest it is getting harder to enter the labour market for young people, due to factors such as increased youth population growth, softening hiring demand, and AI adoption changing the labour market context. The gap between education or training and work could be bridged with financial incentives to hire young people, and navigation and networking support to help people entering the workforce make successful transitions to quality work. Re-entering the workforce could be made easier through flexible work arrangements as employees re-integrate work into their life. Providing employees with flexibility where possible as an employer helps to encourage employee retention and wellbeing. 
3. Successful transitions from work to retirement can be supported through succession planning, including knowledge transfer, and phased retirement options. Providing employers with tools and resources to facilitate phased retirement options, and incentives for workers that are aligned with those options, helps employees remain in the workforce for longer while leveraging their wisdom in ways to support succession.

Next steps

The Resilient Workforce Working Table will work with the Secretariat to draft a full report for release in Spring 2026. The report will aim to share a list of actionable recommendations to support a more resilient workforce in Canada and elaborate on the high-level insights shared in this interim document. In the coming months, the Future Skills Centre and the Working Table may share other learnings from their work.