Widening skills gaps: Just 5% of Canadian employers ready for priority projects

Canadian employers heading into 2026 face widening skills gaps and more complex hiring conditions, with only a small minority confident they have the talent needed to deliver on critical projects, according to a survey.

It finds that only 5% of organisations say they have both the skills and headcount required to complete high‑priority projects in the year ahead.

Overall, nearly six in 10 (57%) hiring managers report skills gaps in their department, and 58% say those gaps are more noticeable than they were one year ago. Skills shortfalls are affecting multiple functions, with only a small share of managers in each area saying they have all the talent they need for priority work: less than 1% in legal, 2% in marketing and creative, 5% in technology, 5% in human resources, 8% in administrative and customer support, and 9% in finance and accounting.

The findings are based on a November 2025 survey released by Robert Half, capturing responses from 1,500 hiring managers across Canada in finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and HR.

“Skills gaps are already impeding growth, and traditional approaches to talent development are only worsening the issue," Ciara Harrington, Chief People Officer, Skillsoft, previously said in a statement.

High‑demand capabilities, hiring difficulties

The Robert Half research identifies specific skills under pressure across six key professional fields:

“As the gap between available skills and business needs continues to widen, many organizations are responding proactively,” says Koula Vasilopoulos, Senior Managing Director, Robert Half, Canada. “Companies are increasingly dependent on specialized expertise to deliver results, yet the hiring landscape has become far more complex, especially with the rapid adoption of AI. Blending full‑time hiring with contract support enables companies to address urgent skills shortages, stay adaptable, and maintain momentum on high‑priority projects in a labour market that's evolving faster than ever.”

Employers across major economies are increasingly misaligned with their own workforces on artificial intelligence (AI) and soft skills, as workers accelerate their upskilling efforts while hiring practices remain focused on immediate needs, according to a previous study.

Finding skilled talent more challenging

Despite the widespread skills gaps, Robert Half’s research shows hiring sentiment remains strong. Nearly eight in 10 (79%) managers are confident in their business outlook for the first half of 2026. In addition to the 55% of hiring managers who plan to add permanent employees, half also expect to bring on more contract talent to address immediate skills gaps and maintain flexibility during the first half of the year.

Also, the share of employers planning to increase or add new positions was 54% in the first half of 2024, 46% in the first half of 2025, and 55% heading into the first half of 2026.

At the same time, hiring is becoming more difficult. According to Robert Half, 53% of managers say finding skilled talent has become more challenging in the last year, with AI contributing to the problem. The research found that 64% of hiring managers report challenges identifying the right talent due to the influx of AI‑generated applications.

“As generative AI tools enable candidates to produce highly polished résumés, applications and work samples, employers are spending more time validating qualifications and job readiness, adding friction to the hiring process and increasing the risk of misalignment,” says Robert Half.

Tight labour market and AI transformation

Canada’s private sector is heading into 2026 with a persistently tight labour market and modest economic growth, according to a previous survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

In 2026, executive teams will have to navigate a “difficult tension”: “delivering on today’s growth targets while nurturing a workforce capable of driving future value amid AI transformation,” say Peter Aykens, vice president and chief of research for the Gartner HR practice, and his colleagues in a Harvard Business Review article.

They say that for employers to be able to do that, they must prioritise:

• Navigating new realities of the AI era: The basic tenets of the employment deal are in flux, propelled by rapid technological advancement, economic volatility, and political uncertainty.

• Mitigating emerging threats to organisational performance: The rapidly evolving AI landscape makes it difficult to predict and prioritise the most significant threats the organisation will face.

• Seizing opportunities for a blended human‑machine workforce: As organisations look for new and innovative ways to generate value from their AI investments, the evolving human‑machine workforce will create new opportunities for differentiation.