geopolitical shock. Uncertainty surrounding international trade. Slowing population growth. Throw that into your mix of concerns, as more and more job postings require generative AI (GenAI). No wonder Canadian employers are cautious about the future.
Despite the confusion, one thing is clear. Although GenAI is rapidly changing, most skills are still uniquely human, meaning the human element is more important than ever. That’s what Michelle Slater, Indeed’s senior marketing director for the Americas and global partnerships, speculated at a roundtable of HR leaders in Toronto in March. The event was part of the “Future-Proofing the Workforce in the Age of AI” series hosted by Business Insider and sponsored by Indeed.
”[AI] “They can be companions in our work, but they can’t replace humans,” Slater said, stressing the importance of striking the right balance between human expertise and machine intelligence to “build teams that are not only resilient, but truly ready for what comes next.”
fluid work
Indeed’s data on millions of jobs and opinions from job seekers around the world gives you a unique bird’s eye view of the labor market and how it’s changing. “We have early insight into what’s going on and how work is actually evolving,” Slater said.
In Canada, the economy has absorbed the geopolitical blow, but population growth has slowed and uncertainties over tariffs and trade remain. From the third quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025, the vacancy rate remained largely unchanged from 3.1% to 2.8%. The unemployment rate ended 2025 at 6.5%, close to mid-2024 levels.
But “the fundamentals of attracting talent haven’t changed for a long time,” Slater told the Toronto group. “A strong employee value proposition drives recruitment and workplace happiness. Meaningful Work.” [also] Increase retention rate. ”
He pointed out that the overall picture of AI is “not necessarily disruptive, but redesigned.” It is clear that the jobs that humans perform are not going away anytime soon. Instead, the way these jobs are done will change and job redesign will be essential.
Separating AI fact from fiction
Slater cautioned against letting headlines about AI and jobs cloud reality. Indeed’s data shows that “only a small percentage of jobs are actually 100% impacted by AI today,” she said.
A closer look at this research suggests that only about a quarter of jobs will be highly transformed by GenAI, and the majority of jobs will undergo moderate or “hybrid” transformation with AI assisting with tasks. What is clear here is that humans will still lead the work.
And for Slater, that’s because of a very simple truth. “Jobs require people… AI can accelerate progress, but it cannot replace humans.”
Building tomorrow’s workplace
“When I think about hiring for my team, I look at productivity and how we can use AI to make our teams more productive,” Slater says. She said the future of work will be determined by how effectively leaders integrate technology and the unique capabilities of human workers.
The rewards of getting the balance between humans and AI right should be a workplace that is better able to adapt to ongoing changes, including team members who can focus on tasks that cannot be automated. Because, as Slater once again summarized, the current reality is that “AI can enhance the role, but we still need people.” [to do the work]. ”
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This post was created by Insider Studio surely.