What happened
KPMG Canada surveyed 306 executives at Canadian companies about how they use AI, as reported by Talent Canada. The finding that stands out: 77 per cent are already using AI agents for tasks such as sharing knowledge between departments, and 66 per cent are moving toward a workforce where people work alongside agents.
Hiring is already affected. 59 per cent say agents have changed how they hire entry-level workers, and 63 per cent say the same about experienced talent. For entry-level roles, employers are putting more weight on creative thinking (46 per cent), problem-solving (44 per cent) and adaptability (43 per cent). And 65 per cent say social and interpersonal skills now matter more than technical expertise.
Returns are thin. 70 per cent say AI is delivering meaningful value, but only 3 per cent in Canada have measurable returns, against 8 per cent globally. Respondents point to a skills gap. 31 per cent of Canadian employees resist the technology, compared with 16 per cent globally, mostly over trust, ethics, job security and confidence in their own AI skills.
Why it matters if you are hiring
The job description is changing before the org chart is. Leaders in the survey expect AI collaboration to appear in role requirements and performance reviews (39 per cent), and 36 per cent expect promotion criteria that reward AI literacy and the ability to delegate to agents.
That changes what you screen for. A candidate who can build an agent is useful only if they can point it at work that produces results. KPMG's Lewis Curley says every employee now becomes a manager of agents: allocating work, checking quality and giving feedback. Those are management skills, and many early-career and individual-contributor hires have never been asked to show them.
It also changes retention. With nearly a third of Canadian staff resistant, the people who are confident and credible with these tools are scarce, and your current team may need support as much as your new hires do.
One thing to do this week
Pick one open role and rewrite its requirements. Add one line on how the person will work with AI tools, and one interview question that makes the candidate show judgment: how they would assign a task to an agent, check the output and decide it is not good enough.
Traverse has placed operations, finance, AI and data, and other professionals with Canadian and US employers since 1997, and we help hiring managers find people who pair sound judgment with the practical skills these roles now demand.