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As Canada’s economy shifts with new technologies and evolving industries, workers face an uncertain path forward.
A new report from the Unionled Advisory Table, commissioned by the Government of Canada, outlines recommendations to help workers navigate job transitions and prepare for the future.
Unions Power Prosperity: A Report from the UnionLed Advisory Table outlines strategies to ensure workers are equipped with the skills and support they need to thrive in a changing labour market.
Recommendations to support workers through economic change
The advisory table, chaired by Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, convened 14 additional labour leaders from across Canada between December 2023 and October 2024. Their discussions focused on ensuring workers can adapt to changes brought on by automation, sectoral shifts, and emerging industries.
With industries evolving due to climate policies and technological advancements, the report stresses the need for proactive workforce strategies. Recommendations include:
- Aligning skills training with industry demand.
- Supporting workers transitioning from declining sectors to growth industries.
- Ensuring continuous learning and foundational skill development.
- Expanding access to skilled trades for women and underrepresented groups.
Bruske underlined the need for government and industry to collaborate closely with unions to ensure an equitable workforce transition.
“Meeting Canada’s economic and climate challenges starts with investing in and listening to workers,” she said in a statement.
“This means prioritizing more and better jobs, expanding workplace learning opportunities and including workers in decisionmaking. Unions have the tools, the knowhow and the creativity to drive an innovative, prosperous and equitable economy.”
Collaboration as a key to workforce development
The report’s recommendations contribute to broader government efforts to build a modern workforce, including policies that address skills gaps and prepare workers for sectors like green energy. The advisory table emphasized that solutions require collaboration between workers, unions, employers, and government to ensure a workforce that meets Canada’s evolving labour market needs.
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Steven MacKinnon welcomed the report’s findings, emphasizing the role of worker input in shaping Canada’s economic future.
“Giving workers a seat at the table is the best way to help us understand how to prepare workers for the jobs of tomorrow so we can make sure our economy thrives,” he said in a statement. “We need their advice to confront the challenges of our changing labour market.”
The advisory table included leaders from some of Canada’s largest labour organizations, representing a broad range of industries and worker interests.
Chaired by Bruske, the group featured representatives from major unions such as Teamsters Canada, Unifor, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the United Steelworkers. Leaders from sectorspecific unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, and Canada’s Building Trades Unions, also contributed their expertise.
Their collective expertise provided insight into the challenges workers face and the steps needed to secure goodquality jobs in a changing economy.
With Unions Power Prosperity now published, policymakers and industry leaders will have a roadmap to strengthen workforce resilience and ensure Canadian workers are equipped for the future.
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