• Français
Future Skills Center logo
Français
Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research
Research

How AI is shaping the future of work

Artificial intelligence (AI) is destined to fundamentally alter work—redefining tasks, reducing demand for specific roles, and giving rise to entirely new roles. Unlike past technology automation waves that targeted routine physical tasks, AI extends into cognitive work—analyzing data, recognizing patterns, and drawing conclusions. This puts even high-skill jobs at risk of disruption, challenging long-held assumptions about their immunity to automation. 

This research examines the impact of AI on Canada’s labour market using information gleaned from job postings data, Statistics Canada, and a survey targeting organizational decision-makers across Canada. AI is set to transform Canada’s workforce, and employees, businesses, and government will need to develop strategies to address this technological disruption.

Download Report Button
cropped shot of woman using digital tablet on tabletop

Key insights

In 2024, 57.4 per cent of Canadian jobs were classified as highly exposed to AI. Of these, 49.0 per cent are AI-competing roles where AI can automate core tasks with limited need for human judgment, while 51.0 per cent are AI-augmenting roles where AI applications can enhance human capabilities.

Demand for AI skills is rising fastest in AI-competing roles. This shows that companies are trying to transform these roles—not cut them entirely. Still, as AI improves, some roles could disappear.

Since 2022, industries with high exposure to AI have been demanding AI-related skills at a rate above the economy-wide average, and the gap has widened since, showing how fast AI is changing hiring needs.

More from FSC

Group of diverse businesspeople having a meeting in a modern office at work.
State of Skills

Meeting the Demand for Talent

  • October 2026
Building a resilient national talent pool requires a shift from traditional credential-based hiring and training approaches towards skills-first practices and demand-driven training. These efforts must be paired with increased employer investments in training, and the active removal of systemic barriers for equity-deserving groups.
1 Related Reports
Two women wearing safety glasses standing in a metal workshop, working on metal drilling machine.
Research

Women in Trades: Progress, Barriers and Opportunities

  • October 2026
  • Diversity Institute
The research addressed three core questions: What is the current state of women’s participation in skilled trades in Canada? What systemic barriers prevent women from entering, completing and advancing in the trades? And what strategies, domestically and internationally, have shown the most promise in addressing these barriers?
2 Related Reports
Research

Workforce Training in Canadian SMEs: Barriers and Promising Models

  • September 2026
  • Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Diversity Institute
This project responds to the need for a clearer understanding of the factors shaping SME upskilling and the conditions under which training investments are more effective.
2 Related Reports
View all Research