Global → Canada
Talent Market Drivers Since the Start of COVID: Canada Report
LinkedIn data on what talent wants, what employers need, and what we’re learning in the Great Reshuffle
The global talent market has never changed this much, this quickly. Call it the Great Reshuffle: a time when everyone is rethinking everything.
As employees reconsider where they work and why, employers are recalibrating their talent needs and company cultures. It’s a learning process for all involved, and this report is here to help you understand the biggest changes since the pandemic began.
What talent wants from employers
Candidates are rethinking how they choose an employer.
Top priorities when considering a new company (Canada)
June 2021, LinkedIn Talent Drivers Survey
1. Compensation and benefits
2. Work-life balance
3. Colleagues and culture
Priorities growing more important since the pandemic began (Canada)
April 2020 vs. June 2021
1. Inclusive workplace +22.9%
2. Flexible work arrangements +9.8%
3. Investment in training +9.2%
The single biggest change in candidate priorities is the growing importance of an inclusive workplace for people from underrepresented groups, rising sharply after the murder of George Floyd and resulting international Black Lives Matter protests.
Flexible work arrangements also grew more important, spiking just as many companies were preparing to return to the office.
Investment in training remains a priority, with increased emphasis on acquiring transferable knowledge that can be applied to a variety of business challenges.
Global data shows companies are falling short where it matters the most.
Burnout signals have spiked by 9% in recent months, while employee happiness fell by 3%, according to global Glint data.
That may be because companies aren’t delivering what talent wants. While work-life balance and compensation are the two most important priorities for candidates, employee surveys reveal that companies score poorly on those priorities relative to other factors measured.
Companies are doing well when it comes to flexibility — but for all the benefits of remote work, there’s a dark side: employees are more likely to struggle with work-life balance.[1]
Culture changes need to follow policy changes so that employees don’t feel burned out from a never-ending digital workday.[2] When flexibility isn’t an option (e.g., for in-person service jobs), employers should consider increasing compensation as a key lever to bring in more talent.
What employers need from talent
Employer demand is rising for both digital and in-person roles.
Click the tabs below to explore in-demand jobs.
Jobs with the fastest-growing demand
Q2 2021 vs. Q2 2020 (Canada)
1. Pharmacist +14x
2. Javascript Developer +8x
3. Cloud Engineer +7x
4. Sales Specialist +5x
5. Data Engineer +5x
Jobs with the fastest-growing demand
Q2 2021 vs. Q2 2020 (Canada)
1. Pharmacist +14x
2. Javascript Developer +8x
3. Cloud Engineer +7x
4. Sales Specialist +5x
5. Data Engineer +5x
6. Licensed Practical Nurse +5x
7. Personal Banker +5x
8. Dietary Aide +5x
9. Frontend Developer +4x
10. Registered Nurse +4x
Most in-demand jobs in Q2 2021
April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 (Canada)
1. Salesperson
2. Software Engineer
3. Customer Service Representative
4. Registered Nurse
5. Javascript Developer
6. Pharmacist
7. Financial Advisor
8. Licensed Practical Nurse
9. Project Manager
10. Full Stack Engineer
More businesses need help going digital.
Digital transformation was a widely predicted trend at the onset of pandemic lockdowns. Demand for Javascript developers was relatively stable at the start of the pandemic, when demand for most jobs was plummeting. Over the last two quarters, however, demand has sharply increased.
It’s harder to hire for in-person service roles.
Perhaps more surprising is just how great the demand is for frontline workers — those who can only do their jobs in-person and indoors, such as pharmacists.
This may reflect the fact that it’s getting more difficult to attract talent to these in-person jobs[3]— leading some employers to significantly improve their compensation and benefits.[4]
Demand for nursing talent continues to rise.
The pandemic has created the need for talent in many facets of healthcare, including licensed practical nurses. The increased need for patient care combined with factors like burnout have kept nurses in high demand, with the need only growing.
Top skills being learned by talent
People are learning skills to meet market demands.
Click the tabs below to explore how these skills connect to market demands.
Most popular courses on LinkedIn Learning: Canada
July 2020 - June 2021 (Canada)
1. Excel Essential Training (Office 365/Microsoft 365)
2. Unconscious Bias
3. Project Management Foundations
4. Strategic Thinking
5. Learning Python
6. Speaking Confidently and Effectively
7. Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making
8. Communicating With Confidence
9. Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
10. Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
Creating an inclusive, equitable workplace for all
The second most popular course over the last year was Unconscious Bias, taught by Stacey Gordon. The fact that over 24,000 learners in Canada have watched this course signals that people are investing time and taking action to foster belonging.
It was one of many popular courses that aim to promote a workplace culture of diversity and inclusion — an increasingly important factor for candidates.
Communication skills
Communication is another skill being developed across many of the top courses. Effective communication skills are particularly important for in-demand jobs in sales (salesperson was the most in-demand job in Q2 2021) and customer service.
Essential data skills
Hard data skills also cropped up often in the most popular courses, from mastering Microsoft Excel to learning SQL to deal with databases. Since the pandemic only accelerated trends of digital transformation, businesses need talent to translate the ever-growing stores of raw data into actionable insights.
Critical thinking skills
Learners are also developing strategic soft skills like critical thinking, which should prove particularly valuable amid the Great Reshuffle. As companies reconsider business models, explore new ways of working, and adapt to unpredictable market changes, it’ll be essential to break out of old ways of thinking.
Looking forward to a post-pandemic future
The Great Reshuffle is here: employees are rethinking their priorities, companies are reconsidering their needs, and everyone is learning to “build the plane as we fly it.” We’re all adapting to constant change, making decisions amid uncertainty, and exploring new opportunities.
And although the talent market always ebbs and flows, many of the changes we’re seeing today are unlikely to be undone. Hybrid work is here to stay, digital transformation is only accelerating, and people are building durable new skills for the future.
We’re just beginning to understand the full impact of the Great Reshuffle. But once the dust finally settles and the pandemic is far behind us, those companies who rose to meet this moment will reap the rewards in the talent market.
Methodology
For the full methodology, see the notes on the global edition of the report. All insights on this page are specific to Canada, with the exception of the graphic comparing top candidate priorities against company performance, which is based on global Glint and LinkedIn data.
1. LinkedIn Talent Blog, The Critical Hybrid Work Issue That Companies Should Tackle Now, June 29, 2021.
2. Harvard Business Review, The Endless Digital Workday, August 12, 2021.
3. Marketplace, Retailers Try To Hire Tens of Thousands of Workers, April 14, 2021.
4. The Economist, Why McDonald’s Is Supersizing Its Wages, May 22, 2021.