Machine learning and AI demand fundamental changes to the Canadian workforce: new report

Toronto, October 18, 2017 - A pioneering report co-authored by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) and Deloitte Canada calls on Canadian policy makers and business leaders to prepare Canadian workers now for the disruption that machine learning and artificial intelligence is having on our economy.

The report titled, The Intelligence Revolution: Future Proofing Canada’s Workforce, employs eight (8) archetypes to illustrate what kinds of work Canadians will perform in the future and what kinds of competencies they will need to do it. It concludes that a national conversation on how jobs will change and the capabilities needed to respond to that change is needed urgently.

“We need to get down to the urgent work of assessing not just how work will change in Canada but how Canadian workers should prepare,” says Scott Allinson, Vice President, Public Affairs, HRPA. “The changes we are seeing are nothing less than historic and governments and educators need to take a skills-first, not a job-first approach.”

How can Canadian workers survive the Intelligence Revolution?

Among the key recommendations in the report for governments and business: 

• Modernize provincial labour laws and the social safety net to reflect the realities of the “gig economy”
• Rethink universal basic income
• Reimagine how we organize our schools, from physical setup to the school year itself
• Empower Canadian workers to manage their careers and thrive in the new world of work

“If we agree we are experiencing a so-called 2nd industrial revolution, which is changing what a job means, affecting the work we do and how we do it, then we have to anticipate that amongst global jurisdictions there will be winners and losers,” says Stephen Harrington, National Lead, Talent Strategy at Deloitte in Canada and co-author of the report. “It is critical that as a nation, as a business community, we understand the future of work and take action. Our recommendations are meant as a starting point – we need social innovation and real made-in-Canada solutions in order to lead and win in the future.”

Read the report and dive into the discussion around the skills archetypes of Canada’s future workforce here: www.deloitte.ca/IntelligenceRevolution

To join the conversation about the skills it will take to protect Canadian jobs as the way we work evolves join us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHRPA
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HRPATV

About HRPA
The Human Resources Professionals Association protects the public interest by governing and regulating the professional practice of its more than 23,000 member registrants. HRPA advances the professionalization of HR and acknowledgment of the profession as a key driver of organizational success by: Ensuring competent and ethical HR practice, creating compelling value propositions for all in HR to become members, providing strong and respected designations based on a globally recognized body of knowledge, and validation of that capability through rigorous examination and supervision of experience. Learn more about HRPA’s work by visiting https://www.hrpa.ca.

About Deloitte
Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.