Pan-Canadian Forum A Future Built on Skills

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Research Strategy

The Future Skills Centre supports research to build a robust evidence base that decision-makers can use to prepare workers for the challenges of the future.

Our research partnerships address a holistic set of questions that touch upon issues emerging among individual workers, communities, industries, and providers of education and training.  We bring together experts bridging supply and demand-side perspectives, reflecting the diverse interests and supporting approaches that are both people-centric and employer-informed. 

We are working with a diverse team of more than 100 world class diverse multidisciplinary researchers from academic institutions, think tanks, and community organizations bringing together a pool of expertise in economics, information technology, predictive analytics, education, management, sociology, gender and diversity studies, and multiple methods and new technologies.

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Our research informs discussion on the following questions:

  • What do key stakeholders understand about the skills and competencies that will best prepare Canadians to work in a rapidly changing economy?
  • What practices are needed to serve the skills development needs of diverse and vulnerable populations?
  • What do employers need to be able to meet their current and future skilled workforce needs?
  • What are new and innovative approaches to preparing for the future skills needs and demands that work?
  • What broader workplace issues are impacting the ability of Canadian workers to navigate their careers and future prospects?
young professionals in a group meeting discussing work.

Key Initiatives

Quality of work 
We are supporting a multidisciplinary portfolio of research projects exploring how working conditions impact the ability of Canadian workers to develop and refine their skills.  

Research on sustainable futures and skills
We are supporting a variety of research projects exploring national, regional, and sectoral-level implications of Canada’s transition to a more sustainable, less carbon-intensive economy.

Research on the needs of equity seeking groups in the workforce
We work with research partners to explore the challenges facing women, racialized Canadians, newcomers, youth and Indigenous peoples in securing opportunities to participate in the workforce.

Benchmarking Canada’s performance against international data
We work with international researchers to benchmark key indicators of skills development and skills ecosystem performance against similar economies.

Our Latest Research

Research

Adoption Ready? The AI Exposure of Jobs and Skills in Canada’s Public Sector Workforce

  • October 2025
  • The Dais
This project investigates how artificial intelligence adoption could affect Canada’s public sector workforce, examining whether AI is more likely to assist workers with job tasks or automate those tasks entirely.
3 Related Reports
Group of people sitting in row in front of speaker and clapping hands
Research

DiversityLeads: Barriers and Enablers to Advancement for Equity-Deserving Groups

  • September 2025
  • Diversity Institute, Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, University of Manitoba, Women in Communications and Technology, 30%+ Club Canada
This report identifies significant barriers that hinder career advancement and enablers that allow leaders from equity-deserving groups to succeed. It is important to track progress because what gets measured gets done, especially at a time when Canada’s workers are aging and immigration levels are lowering, leaving a widening skills and talent gap for employers.
6 Related Reports
Aerial view of Downtown Vancouver
Research

EDI Best Practices for Municipalitiesexternal link icon

  • September 2025
  • Diversity Institute
The Diversity Institute, the City of Kingston, and the Future Skills Centre, partnered to collect and share Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Reconciliation (EDIR) practices from municipalities across Canada to develop a searchable database of EDIR resources. Currently, there are 260 best practices available through the tool.