CanadaWorks 2025: The lost decade, unsustainable prosperity or the northern tiger?

Buoyed by high commodity prices, low unemployment and relative stability in a turbulent global economy, Canada is at an inflection point. Whether by design or accident of history, Canadians today are for the most part prosperous and confident in their futures. Ipsos’ latest Global Economic Pulse survey found that 68% of Canadians view their economic situation in a positive light, the highest among G8 countries.1 The challenge is how to take full advantage of our current economic and political capital. What should decision makers do today to best position Canadian workplaces for success in 2025? Deloitte and the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) have partnered to address this question by developing detailed scenarios depicting what Canadian society might look like in 2025. The goal of this exercise was not to lay out the definitive future of the Canadian workplace. Rather, it recognizes that despite our relatively enviable position, we must identify strategies that address the very real problems that continue to exist: the sustainability of our industries, the competitiveness of our firms, the quality of our employment, the inclusivity of our workplaces and our level of innovation.