Evidence
& Insights
We believe Canada is stronger when everyone has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from our shared prosperity. We also recognize that people in Canada are facing disruption like never before and there is a widening skills and labour gap. To help find solutions, our research draws from our partnerships across Canada with policymakers, employers and labour, skills development practitioners and experts, educators and researchers.
We seek to identify, understand and synthesize the best research and innovation insights from Canada and internationally to help those in the skills ecosystem better address knowledge gaps, learn about leading practices and gain capacity to address today’s challenges. Our work aims to go further still, mobilizing the knowledge needed to respond to the skills demands of the future.
Explore our areas of focus
Core skills
Core skills – basic literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills – are important across all economic sectors and occupations. Figuring out who and how to address skills gaps is key to building an inclusive workforce with upward mobility.
Tech and Automation
Technology is reshaping work and how the skills ecosystem delivers skills training. Understanding technologies and learning digital skills is key to achieving inclusive growth, quality employment and shared prosperity.
SME Adaptability
Skills and labour shortages are negatively impacting our economy and our society. Employers, and especially small business owners, lack the labour market information, funding, capacity and critical partnerships to develop the solutions needed.
Inclusive Economy
Many equity-seeking groups in Canada continue to face barriers to employment and career progression. Building an inclusive workforce requires addressing systemic discrimination to ensure all workers and employers can thrive.
Innovation and scaling
Future-focused innovation in skills development and scaling of approaches that work is an essential component of navigating our changing labour market. Identifying and breaking down barriers to innovation will help build a cycle of continuous improvement.
Pathways to Jobs
With the pace of change in today’s labour market, many Canadian adults will need to shift careers, retrain or upskill. Career guidance during this transition can be crucial to their success.
Quality of work
Quality of work encompasses many factors that can impact the overall well-being of employees. It is an important driver of labour force participation, worker motivation and engagement, productivity and retention.
Sectors in transition
Labour market trends such as technology, shifting demographics and climate change are leading to rapid change in key sectors of our economy. Workers and employers will require support from the skills ecosystem to successfully manage these transitions.
Sustainable Jobs
As Canada advances its net-zero targets, we need a skills and training agenda to support both a net-positive job growth in the economy and transitioning at-risk workers in sectors that will decline.
Latest Insights
