Skill Trends
Spotlight on in demand skills in Canada’s labour market.
As the first research series in Canada providing current information on skills in demand for the labour market in Canada, the Skill Trends series will provide quarterly reports, each highlighting a new skill or cluster. These reports will help post-secondary institution (PSI) leaders understand the changing labour market and guide strategic program development.
Page updated: January 28, 2026
Recent releases
Data Science Skills Trends
Employers today are not only seeking those with technical proficiency; they are seeking fluency—the ability to understand, interpret, and act on data in ways that drive results. Evidence from job postings is clear: Demand for data science skills is broad, accelerating, and increasingly woven into the fabric of work. It spans industries, regions, and occupations, and it carries a considerable wage premium.
January 28, 2026 • Issue briefing • 17-min read
Human Resources Technology Skills Trends
From healthcare to finance, manufacturing to education, HR professionals must be proficient in tools like human resources information systems (HRIS), human resources management systems (HRMS), payroll platforms, and applicant tracking systems to support critical functions such as talent acquisition, compliance, performance tracking, and workforce planning.
October 9, 2025 • Issue briefing • 11-min read
Business Analysis Skills Trends
While demand for business analysis skills has declined over 2024–25, these skills remain important, they offer a high wage premium, and demand for them is expected to grow over the next five years. Business analysis is essential across various industries, including banking, healthcare, education, and public administration.
July 7, 2025 • Issue briefing • 13-min read
Digital Marketing Skills Trends
Digital marketing skills are growing in importance and demand. Digital marketing is essential across various industries, including business development, market research, education, corporate sales, and content creation.
April 28, 2025 • Issue briefing • 13-min read
Cloud Computing Skills Trends
With cloud computing skills growing in importance and demand, post-secondary institutions (PSIs) are well positioned to create programs to build these skills and integrate them across different disciplines. Cloud computing is needed in several fields, including banking, insurance, software development, and cybersecurity.
February 11, 2025 • Issue briefing • 14-min read
Child Care Skill Trends
With the growing importance of and demand for child care skills, post-secondary institutions (PSIs) are well positioned to integrate these skills across different disciplines. Graduates with a foundation in child care skills will be better equipped to navigate the complexities of their careers in healthcare, education, public administration, and beyond.
January 13, 2025 • Issue briefing • 13-min read
About the Series
Current data and insights to support PSI leaders.
Our team of expert researchers and economists will identify Canadian employers’ emerging skills needs by analyzing job posting data from Vicinity Jobs, a Canadian big data analytics provider specializing in real-time tracking of regional and national labour market trends. The release will provide insights into the implications of these skill needs, recommendations for how PSI leaders should respond, and an example(s) of how institutions or employers are developing and implementing training that responds to the skill trends being explored that quarter.
The Skill Trends series has been produced since November 2023.
Methodology
The Skill Trends Series analyzes evolving skill demands across Canada’s labour market using Signal49 Research’s integrated labour market intelligence tools and expert interviews. Each release focuses on a specific skill or skill cluster in hiring demand to help post-secondary leaders understand the changing labour market and guide strategic program development.
Data sources
Findings are based primarily on online job posting data collected through Signal49 Research’s real-time labour market analytics tool (formerly Vicinity Jobs), which extracts and classifies information about skills, occupations, industries, education requirements, and regional demand from millions of job postings across Canada.
Quantitative analysis
Job postings are analyzed to measure hiring demand for the featured skill across geographies, industries, occupations, and educational requirements. Statistical summaries identify patterns in employer demand and wages offered across sectors and occupations, as well as shifts in educational or credential requirements. We incorporate medium- to long-term employment projections from our Model of Occupations, Skills and Technology (MOST).
Qualitative insights
Each release includes excerpts from interviews with post-secondary leaders, educators, or industry experts to provide context on how PSIs are adapting to evolving skill needs and where alignment or gaps exist between training and labour demand.
Synthesis and recommendations
Quantitative and qualitative findings are synthesized to produce recommendations for education and training providers, employers, and policy-makers so they can respond strategically and align talent development with future skill requirements.
This consistent methodology ensures comparability across topics while allowing each report to spotlight emerging skill trends shaping Canada’s workforce.
Where leaders turn when faced with Canada’s toughest problems.
Our subscriptions deliver key intelligence to your fingertips so you can act on critical opportunities with confidence.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the Skill Trends series, or about becoming a subscriber, please contact us.