Research + White Papers
Research
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.
Research
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.
Research
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.
Research
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Alternative Pathways
Digital skills and digital careers are part of every industry’s future. Yet employers say they can’t find workers with the information and communication technology (ICT)...
Research
Thinking Twice About Technology and the Future of Work
Technology is being used to change power balances in workplaces and to perpetuate long-standing precarious employment relationships, Jim Stanford argues. But the exploitative practices of the gig economy reflect deliberate choices, rather than the inevitable onward march of technology, and creating better jobs also lies within our power.
Research
Solving the Skills Puzzle: The Missing Piece is Good Information
In a world of work increasingly driven by the supply and demand of skills rather than the qualifications of graduates, employers have trouble finding the workers they need and workers struggle to keep up with changing demands. Emna Braham and Steven Tobin explain how better and more accessible labour market information lies at the heart of clarifying the skills and training needs of today and tomorrow.
Research
Understanding the Future of Skills: Trends and Global Policy Responses
Studies on the future of work tend to focus on the jobs at risk of automation, with projections varying widely from 6% to 59%. Sunil Johal and Michael Urban take a different approach in reviewing eight expert reports and the actions taken by nine countries to prepare for the challenges ahead. They distill key lessons for Canada to ensure workers are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in tomorrow’s economy, whatever shape it takes.
Research
There’s a revolution happening in skilled trades
The revolution is being sparked by automation, low-carbon economies, digitization, and other emerging work trends. These new technologies need skills that are not usually at the core of a trade school education.
Research
Applied and Experiential Skills
In this multi-year project, our team of researchers will study and support ongoing work-integrated learning initiatives in Canada focusing on the drive to create more experiential learning opportunities, especially among vulnerable populations, while also zeroing in on apprenticeship training.