Skills Next

As the future of work continues to evolve, so too do the skills that Canadians will need to succeed.

The Public Policy Forum, the Diversity Institute, and the Future Skills Centre have joined together to publish Skills Next, a series that explores what is working in workplaces, universities, and the labour market – and where workers are falling through the gaps in our skills training system.

Read key takeaways in each report that will strengthen policymaking and build a strong foundation intended to help support further research by exploring the latest developments at home and around the world. Each report focuses on one issue – such as the impact of technology in the workplace, gig work, digital skills, and barriers to employment that some marginalized groups experience – and reviews the existing state of knowledge on this topic and identifies areas in need of additional research.

AVAILABLE NOW

Release 3

• Economic Equality in a Changing World: Removing barriers to employment for women by Julie Cafley, Katie Davey, Tania Saba, Simon Blanchette, Ruby Latif and Valentina Sitnik
• Mapping the Landscape: Indigenous skills training and jobs in Canada by Max Skudra, Andrew Avgerinos, and Karen E. McCallum
• Understanding the Nature and Experience of Gig Work in Canada by Elle Ziegler, Karen E. McCallum, Katherine Porter and Reyhaneh Noshiravani
• Small and Medium-sized Employers (SMEs): Skills Gaps and Future Skills by Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Tania Saba and Simon Blanchette
• Technological-Enabled Innovations in the Skills and Employment Ecosystem by Stephen Harrington, Wendy Cukier, Mark Patterson and Karen E. McCallum
• Competency Frameworks and Canada’s Essential Skills by David Gyarmati, Janet Lane and Scott Murray

Release 2

• Employment Gaps and Underemployment for Racialized Groups and Immigrants in Canada: Current Findings and Future Directions by Eddy Ng and Suzanne Gagnon
• Skills Gaps, Underemployment, and Equity of Labour-Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Canada by Emile Tompa, Daniel Samosh and Normand Boucher
• Return on Investment: Industry Leadership on Upskilling and Reskilling their Workforce by Wendy Cukier
• Leveraging the Skills of Social Sciences and Humanities Graduates by Sandra Lapointe and Jonathan Turner

Release 1

•  Understanding the Future of Skills: Trends and Global Policy Responses by Sunil Johal and Michael Crawford Urban
•  Solving the Skills Puzzle: The Missing Piece is Good Information by Emna Braham and Steven Tobin
•  Thinking Twice About Technology and the Future of Work by Jim Stanford
•  Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Alternative Pathways by Denise Shortt, Brian Robson and Magdalena Sabat

On the Skills Next authors

Skills Next profiles a diverse set of authors who are engaged in the skills ecosystem through various roles, including through research, activism, and policymaking, have been carefully selected to provide a broad range of perspectives while also foregrounding the Canadian context. Their varied backgrounds, experiences, and expertise have shaped their individual perspectives, their analyses of the current skills ecosystem, and the reports they have authored. Our first set of Skills Next papers was released in January and February of 2020, followed six months later by our second set.

Media requests

For more info on the project

Skills Next is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program.