Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting hiring at Canadian firms, according ot human resources company Robert Half's 2025 Salary Guide, which was released this morning.
Its survey found 51 per cent of managers who said AI is leading them to seek workers with more high-demand skills, while 40 per cent said AI is prompting them to hire more contract workers or consultants. AI is leading to increased hiring, said 32 per cent of managers while 29 per cent of managers said AI was prompting them to outsource more projects.
Robert Half's surveys were done in June 2024 and include responses from more than 1,750 workers aged 18 or older, and 1,800 managers with hiring responsibilities at companies with 20 or more employees in Canada, the company said.
"Embracing continuous learning and focusing on skill-building efforts, while investing in employee training and fuelling innovation is crucial," Robert Half's report said.
Unsurprisingly, the report found that salaries were top of mind for the vast majority of workers in professional jobs. Indeed, 92 per cent said that they were concerned that inflation would outpace their salary growth, while 51 per cent said that they felt they were underpaid.
Inflation in B.C. has moderated from decades-high levels but in July was at 2.8 per cent, which was still higher than the national 2.5-per-cent level, according to Statistics Canada.
"One-third of workers said they’ll look for a new role if their employer does not raise their salary," the report said of those surveyed Canada-wide. Salary is the top thing 60 per cent of professionals said they want in a new job, while 32 per cent of hiring managers said that they are increasing starting salaries specifically to attract new hires, the report said.
The other main consideration for workers is whether employers insist that they come into the office frequently. BIV recently examined whether hybrid work could be a thing of the past and found that it is still alive and well. Vancouver's largest technology-sector employer, Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), however, has said that all of its office workers must come to the office five days a week starting in January, unless they have special permission from a manager.
The Robert Half report found flexibility to be essential in successful recruitment and retention.
Many professionals in Canada (44 per cent) prefer two to three days per week at the office, while employers would on average prefer their teams in office four days per week, the report found.
Employers know they need to offer flexibility to hire top talent, according to the report.
Its survey found 32 per cent of workers are looking for a new job primarily because they want a flexible work schedule. It also found 39 per cent of managers are offering hybrid jobs specifically to attract skilled talent, while 37 per cent are offering flexible schedules for the same reason.
