Canada’s retail sector is an important pillar of the economy – contributing 5-6% of Canada’s GDP and employing over 2 million people across the country. The retail sector is also often at the leading edge of adopting new technologies to improve efficiency and enhance customer experiences, leading to an increasing demand for digital talent. However, segments of the workforce, notably Black and Indigenous workers, who are concentrated in low-wage and precarious roles, face limited opportunities and high exposure to automation.
This report presents a strategic upskilling model to enhance the digital readiness and innovation capacity of retail organizations while advancing the representation of Black and Indigenous retail workers.
Key design principles recommended for inclusive digital upskilling:
Centre cultural safety and co-governance: Co-design and co-govern programs with Black- and Indigenous-led organizations; embed Indigenous worldviews, local context, and content aligned with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action in curricula and governance.
Make career ladders visible and credible: Provide transparent retail career maps and a digital platform that links specific training to promotion criteria, salary progression, and mobility into specialist and corporate roles.
Use flexible, blended, modular learning with robust supports: Deliver short, stackable modules; recognize prior learning; integrate mentorship, peer cohorts, childcare-sensitive scheduling, and digital access supports.
Leverage data-driven workforce planning for equity: Use skills inventories and labour market analytics to target training, personalize learning plans, and monitor participation, completion, advancement, and wage outcomes by identity group.
The Inclusive Retail Upskilling Toolkit outlines a step-by-step approach to designing and implementing upskilling programs aligned with these principles.
Report
To cite this report:
Fosu, F., O. Ivus, E. Murray, and J. F. C. Ramirez. January 2026. Digital Skills, Cultural Safety and Career Mobility: An Upskilling Model for Black and Indigenous Retail Workers in Canada. Ottawa: Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC).
This report was produced by the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in collaboration with the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC).
