At a Career Crossroads: Supporting Canada’s Mid-Career Workforce Through Change

Toronto, March 27, 2025 — Canada’s mid-career workforce is at a pivotal moment. Rapid shifts in technology, trade, and infrastructure are opening new opportunities, but also creating uncertainty for experienced workers balancing careers, skills, and responsibilities.

On March 13, 2026, the Future Skills Centre brought together experts for a national webinar exploring practical ways to help mid-career workers navigate a rapidly changing labour market. The session was hosted by Tricia Williams, PhD, Director of Research, Evaluation and Knowledge Mobilization at the Future Skills Centre, and featured a panel of leaders from across the workforce development space.

Panelists included Ken Delaney, Managing Director at the Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition; Karen Myers, President of Blueprint; and Charles Finlay, Founding Executive Director of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.

Together, the panel examined how governments, employers, labour organizations, and training providers can collaborate more effectively to support workers transitioning into emerging roles and adapt to evolving labour-market needs.

A key message from the panel was the importance of early and meaningful employer engagement. Rather than joining the process only after training programs are complete, employers need to help shape them from the start. By identifying the skills needed in fast-changing sectors like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, employers can ensure training remains relevant as technology and labour-market demands evolve.

The speakers also pointed to the need for stronger coordination across Canada’s workforce training system. Many current initiatives operate independently, making large-scale workforce transitions more difficult. Workforce alliances and other coordinating groups were highlighted as essential for bringing together governments, employers, unions, and training providers.

Karen Myers emphasizes three key priorities that are closely connected. She argued that Canada’s employment system is outdated and overly reactive, leaving mid-career workers without the support they need to transition before job loss occurs. To address this, she calls for a more coordinated, system-level approach that aligns workforce development with economic needs by bringing together governments, employers, and training providers to plan ahead using labour market data. Building on this, she highlights the importance of clear, worker-centered pathways that combine career guidance with flexible, relevant training, so individuals can navigate career changes and move into new opportunities more smoothly.

All the panelists emphasized that successful transitions require more than training alone. Career counselling, support in identifying transferable skills, and guidance navigating benefits and employment supports are all critical.

These approaches can help mid-career Canadians turn disruption into opportunity while building stronger, more resilient career pathways for the future.