Research
Future Skills
Our research will help Canadians — including current and future job-seekers, employers, policy makers, service providers, educators, and researchers — better understand future skills priorities, knowledge gaps, and leading practices, and will help build capacity to address these demands.
Research Resources
Reference Database
A searchable repository on published research addressing “future skills” that will be a useful tool for researchers and individuals interested in the future of work and the future of skills.
Annotated Bibliography
Intended as a useful tool to researchers in need of initial guidance in future skills, this is a list of 39 key academic and “grey literature” publications.
Featured Research
Skills Next Series
Canadians’ needs for skills training and education are changing quickly. Through Skills Next, the Public Policy Forum, the Diversity Institute, and the Future Skills Centre […]
Social and Emotional Skills
In this multi-year project, our team of researchers is exploring the trends, challenges, and opportunities related to social and emotional skills (SES) development and the future of work.
Bridging Education and Skills Gaps through Indigenous-Controlled Post-Secondary Education
This research project will investigate the role Indigenous-controlled post-secondary institutes play in helping First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students achieve academic success and find meaningful employment.
Career Pathways in the North
An examination of career pathways and resources for Indigenous workers in Canada’s North. This project will examine the major push and pull factors that create non-standard employment conditions for Indigenous labour in Canada’s North. It will also identify pathways and resources that have helped northern Indigenous workers establish careers for themselves.
Cross-Cultural STEM
An examination of the role of cross-cultural STEM curricula and related supports in helping First Nation, Metis, and Inuit students successfully graduate to post-secondary STEM fields and successfully graduate from post-secondary STEM fields to relevant employment opportunities. This project will identify best practices for designing, teaching, and supporting cross-cultural Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curricula for Indigenous learners in secondary and post-secondary fields of study.
Indigenous Institutes
Fifty years on, many forms of Indigenous-centred post-secondary education (PSE) exist in Canada. All of them aspire to help Indigenous students succeed. But to date, no one has done a comprehensive study of Indigenous-centred post-secondary education in Canada.
Assessing Canada’s skills gap
The skills that workers need are changing thanks to automation and new technologies. That means it’s more important than ever to find reliable ways to identify the gaps between the skills workers have and the skills employers need, and how those gaps will change over time.
Leveraging the Skills of Social Sciences and Humanities Graduates
Canadians are among the best-educated people on the planet. But are they getting the education they need — particularly in the fields of social sciences and humanities — to maximize their employment prospects in today’s fast-changing workplace?
Return on Investment: Industry Leadership on Upskilling and Reskilling their Workforce
As technology changes the nature of work, Canadian companies must create a culture of continuous learning to ensure employees have the skills they need.
Skills Gaps, Underemployment, and Equity of Labour-Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Canada
While people with disabilities can achieve socially integrated, financially independent lives through secure, well-paid employment, they are often trapped in low-skill jobs at high risk of automation.
Employment Gaps and Underemployment for Racialized Groups and Immigrants in Canada: Current Findings and Future Directions
“Foreign-sounding names” are 20 to 40 per cent less likely to get a call-back for a job interview, depending on company size.