Canada’s digital economy depends on skilled talent to support innovation and growth. Published in August 2021, this report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated technology adoption and reshaped workforce demand. Drawing on a survey of 400 businesses and interviews with industry leaders, it explores emerging trends, in-demand occupations, and employment forecasts to 2025 across the digital economy and six key innovation areas.

Key Takeaways

  • Canada’s digital economy demonstrated resilience during the pandemic, with employment and output surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
  • The report projected that digital economy employment would reach 2.26 million by 2025, representing demand for an additional 250,000 jobs.
  • Changes in consumer behaviour, accelerated digitization, and increased use of digital tools were expected to continue shaping productivity, innovation, and workforce needs beyond the pandemic.
  • The report examined six key innovation areas: cleantech, clean resources, health and biotech, advanced manufacturing, agri-foods and food tech, and interactive digital media.
  • Employment forecasts and profiles of in-demand technical and business roles highlighted the skills needed to support continued growth in Canada’s digital economy.

Report

To cite this report:

Maryna Ivus and Akshay Kotak. Onwards and Upwards: Digital Talent Outlook 2025. Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), August 2021. Ottawa, Canada.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program.