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.
Research Network
An expanding and diverse group of scholars, experts, practitioners and other stakeholders actively engaged in research on future skills and the future of work.
Featured Research
Race alongside the machines: Occupational digitalization trends in Canada, 2006-2021
Understanding which jobs have changed the most, and which type of digital skills are changing,…
Building workplaces where neurodivergent workers thrive
This report explores strategies and best practices for reducing the economic and social costs associated…
The labour market of tomorrow: projections from the Model of Occupations, Skills, and Technology (MOST)
The Model of Occupations, Skills, and Technology (MOST) is a new labour market projection tool,…
Small and Medium-Sized Employers (SMEs): Skills Gaps and Future Skills
Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for more than 90 percent of private-sector jobs in Canada. To be competitive in today’s market, they need the right people with the right skills, yet they are disproportionately threatened by labour shortages and skills gaps – a situation made worse by COVID-19. Unlike large corporations, SMEs possess limited resources, making it exponentially more challenging to support these human resources needs. There is a dire need for innovative research & solutions.
Responding to Automation: Building a Cleaner Future
The Future Skills Centre and the Conference Board of Canada research the paths that workers could take to transition into sectors that are growing rapidly, starting with the clean economy.
Strengthening Social and Emotional Skills in Adults: the Learning Experience at Canadian Colleges
We know that social and emotional skills (SES)—such as communication, collaboration, and leadership—are critical for life success. Yet the bulk of programs that teach SES end after high school. We continue developing SES in adulthood—through informal experiences like employment, co-ops, volunteering, extracurriculars, and caregiving, as well as formal instruction. These skills are important. So how are post-secondary institutions teaching them?
Race alongside the machines: Occupational digitalization trends in Canada, 2006-2021
Understanding which jobs have changed the most, and which type of digital skills are changing, is important in informing better policies to prepare workers for the future.
Working when sick: How workplace regulations and culture will impact the post-pandemic recovery
Efforts to improve public health and contain the spread of serious illness must focus on both the lack of paid sick days for many workers and the behaviour of those who have access to paid sick days but choose not to use them because of the prevailing workplace culture
Mind and body: Impact of the pandemic on physical and mental health
The second wave of the Survey on Employment and Skills was conducted in late 2020, as the pandemic’s second wave gathered momentum in Canada and the number of new COVID-19 cases steadily increased.
New Working Arrangements
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a rapid rise in the number of Canadians who are teleworking. While for many the transition has been positive, and a significant number of workers and employers indicate an interest to continue teleworking arrangements post-pandemic, there are inequalities in access and ability to telework. It is urgent that society responds in ways that will chart a path forward as the pandemic continues to unfold.
Green occupations pathways: from vulnerable jobs to rapid-growth careers
The nature of work in Canada is changing. So is our climate. Can we alleviate both needs? Designing and implementing viable responses to automation requires a thorough understanding of the opportunities available to HRLM workers. Helping to transition these workers into high growth sectors of the economy is ideal (e.g., technology, cannabis, services). But policy responses that integrate with other public priorities will be the most effective and efficient.