Earlier this year, we explored how changing skill needs, youth employment, and stronger connections between education, employment, and training systems shape Niagara’s workforce. One of the questions we left with was how are skill needs changing, and what does that mean for Niagara?
Since then, we’ve been digging deeper into that question a few different ways. We’ve sought out research from organizations across Canada and internationally to learn about the broader context. While each organization has its own lens, we noted that conversations are shifting from just focusing on labour shortages and identifying the next “in-demand” skill, to understanding how work itself is changing – and whether the systems that support the workforce are changing too.
We’ve also been in conversation with employers and system actors (e.g., others in the workforce ecosystem) and we’re hearing that jobs are being reshaped by ongoing changes in technology, AI, demographics, customer expectations, and economic uncertainty. Many jobs still require strong technical expertise, but employers are increasingly looking for workers who also have strong communication, problem solving, and adaptability skills (especially to new technologies); can navigate cross-team collaboration; and are willing to keep learning throughout their careers.
From the Labour Market Information Council’s (LMIC) Canadian Job Trends Dashboard, we can see that employers are increasingly looking for candidates that not only have the hard skills required of listed jobs, but also foundational and interpersonal skills such as organization, sales, and problem solving. As the labour market continues to shift and employer prerequisites for jobs keep evolving, we are seeing the rise in demand of a skills-first job market. With recent shifts in technological advancement, we are further seeing employers seek out candidates who have a grasp on artificial intelligence, alongside project management and continuous improvement process, as leading hard skills.
Figure 1-1: Sought After Skills in Canada (as a % of postings), Last 30 Days, Canadian Job Trends Dashboard
However, there are also difficulties. Employers and workers are navigating these shifts while also updating recruitment practices, exploring new technologies, and navigating a complex and quickly changing labour market. So, we’re seeing that workforce development is as much about employer readiness, workforce planning, and system coordination as it is about developing individual skills.
What does this look like in Niagara?
National trends provide valuable context, but every community has its own unique economic landscape. Early local conversations suggest Niagara is not separate from these national trends. Employers and workforce partners are already raising questions about recruitment, retention, digital change, mentorship, inclusive hiring, and stronger connections between education, employment, and community supports.
Over the coming months, we’ll be exploring that question through employer engagement, labour market analysis, and collaboration with partners across Niagara. We’ll be looking beyond which occupations are growing to better understand:
- How work is changing across Niagara’s key industries;
- Which technical and interpersonal capabilities employers increasingly value;
- How employers are adapting their recruitment, training, and retention practices;
- What barriers workers and employers continue to face; and
- What these changes mean for workforce planning, education, and career development across the region.
Ultimately, we don’t want to simply to identify the skills that are in demand today. We need to better understand how we attract, develop, and retain a workforce that can continue to adapt as work itself continues to change.
We’ll be sharing what we learn throughout this work and look forward to continuing the conversation with employers, educators, workforce partners, and community organizations across Niagara.
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What we’ve been reading:
- Conference Board of Canada, The. From Shortages to Solutions: Tackling Canada’s Critical Gaps in Healthcare, Trades, and Tech. Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada, 2025.
- Conference Board of Canada, The. Skills and Productivity: Which Skills Shortages Are Impacting Canadian Productivity? Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada, 2024.
- Coursera. (2026). Job Skills Report 2026.
- Environics Institute, Future Skills Centre & Diversity Institute. (2025). Rising Concerns About the Impact of New Technologies on Employment.
- Fang, T., Cukier, W., Zhu, J. and Pracek, T. (2025). Project Insights Report: National Survey on Skill Demands and Employment Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Memorial University. Toronto: Future Skills Centre.
- Immigrant Employment Councils of Canada & Future Skills Centre. (2026). Driving Insights Report: FutureWorks Canada Tour.
- OECD. (2026). A Skills-First Labour Market. Getting Skills Right, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- Richter, S., McDonough, L. (2025) State of Skills: Resilient by Design: The Skills Canadians Need Now and for the Future. Toronto: Future Skills Centre.
- Tobin, S. (2025) State of Skills: Working Collaboratively to Close Skills-Related LMI Gaps. Toronto: Future Skills Centre.