What happened
AI is spreading through Canadian workplaces, and worker unease is spreading with it. That is the picture in a pair of Harris Poll surveys run for Express Employment Professionals, as reported by Talent Canada. In the hiring manager survey, 63 per cent said their company uses AI at work. Half said AI could help ease the shortage of skilled talent, and 63 per cent said AI tools could be essential to bridging the skills gap they see in new hires.
The worry sits on the other side. Some 94 per cent of job seekers have concerns about AI at work, and 78 per cent fear companies will not need to hire as much. About 49 per cent of hiring managers say AI could let their company cut its workforce. Among those planning to decrease or hold headcount steady in 2026, 23 per cent point to AI as the reason, up from 14 per cent a year earlier.
Entry-level work is the pressure point. Among job seekers, 44 per cent know of companies using AI to automate tasks that entry-level staff handled, and 41 per cent agree it is more efficient to use AI than to hire and train a candidate. The surveys ran in November 2025, with 504 hiring decision-makers and 502 adults in Canada.
Why it matters if you are hiring
Candidates are reading your AI plans closely. If you use AI and say nothing about what it means for jobs, many will assume the worst. That affects offer acceptance, and it affects retention of the people you already have.
The entry-level finding matters most. If AI absorbs the routine tasks, the junior roles that used to teach people the business get thinner. Employers that stop hiring juniors may save money this year and face a shortage of experienced people in three to five years. The survey does not say how that plays out, but the risk is plain.
Training is where hiring managers see the answer. 38 per cent want on-the-job training for working alongside AI, and 38 per cent want training in skills AI cannot replace. When you write job descriptions, ask for judgment, problem solving and the ability to check AI output, not just tool familiarity.
One thing to do this week
Pick one entry-level or junior role you fill and list which of its tasks AI now handles. Then rewrite the role around what is left: review, client contact and problem solving. Use that version in your next posting and in your interviews, so candidates hear a clear answer on where the job is going.
Traverse Staffing helps employers across Canada and the US find operations, finance, sales and technical people who can work well alongside new tools, and junior talent worth training.