Canada must prepare for the growing need to retrain workers displaced by disruptive technologies. To do so, governments must have a thorough sense of the effectiveness of current employment retraining programs.
“EXISTING RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT DEMAND FOR NON-COGNITIVE SKILLS THAT INVOLVE EMPATHY AND CREATIVITY IS LIKELY TO INCREASE…”
This FutureSkills Research Lab report provides (1) a history of expert predictions on the future of work, (2) an overview of what interventions are most effective to prepare, and (3) an assessment of Canada’s training and work support programs.
Our findings reveal that Canada’s complex array of programming available to retrain workers may not be able to respond effectively to the kinds of labour-force disruptions experts are predicting—a problem compounded by a lack of quality data regarding their effectiveness.
Published in Canadian Public Policy, the nation’s foremost peer-reviewed journal examining economic and social public policy issues in Canada, this report aims to provide policymakers with a blueprint to ensure that all Canadians will thrive in the future of work.
Alix J. Jansen, Linda A. White, Elizabeth Dhuey, Daniel Foster, & Michal Perlman (2019). Training and skills development policy options for the changing world of work. Canadian Public Policy, 49(4), 460-482. DOI: 10.3138/cpp.2019-024
