This has been a crazy year for Canada.
An election! A trade war! Conversations about elbows up and digital sovereignty… and, of course, AI.
In a year with so much change, what has been the impact on Canada’s job market?
“Can you imagine a quarter—25 percent—of Canada isn’t sure if they’ll be employed next year? That is a wild statistic.”
Kevin Kliman
Employment Hero
This week on The BetaKit Podcast, we have Kevin Kliman, co-founder of Canadian HR platform Humi, which was acquired by Australia’s Employment Hero earlier this year.
Now the president of Canadian Business at Employment Hero, Kliman comes armed with new survey data that shows Canadians are anxious about their job prospects for 2026: one in four Canadians surveyed by the company are worried they’ll be laid off next year, with around the same percentage delaying major financial decisions because of that fear.
The data also looks bad for Gen Z workers, specifically, who are underemployed and hungry for change. Almost half (46 percent) of all Gen Z employees say their current role is not in their desired field, and more than half (55 percent) are looking for a new job in the new year.
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According to Kliman, the data is being driven by three macro trends: the impact of tariffs, the impact of AI on entry-level roles, and an industry-wide push for a return to the office. On this episode, he offers tips for Gen Z workers looking to make their mark in the modern workforce and—surprise—it might have something to do with AI. He also offers commentary on the emergent trend of young Canadian entrepreneurs surveying the Canadian landscape and opting to build elsewhere.
So, what does it take to get and keep a job in Canada in 2026?
PRESENTED BY
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by the Solve for X Podcast: Innovations to change the world.
Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science.
Get a jump on the future. Listen to Season 4 of Solve for X wherever you get your podcasts.
Recorded and edited by Toronto Podcasts. Feature image courtesy Pavel Danilyuk via Pexels.