People Profession 2023: A Canadian perspective

Against a backdrop of economic instability, advancing technology and new models of working, we explore how Canadian people professionals are responding and adapting, and give recommendations on how practitioners can navigate the challenges they are facing.

This report summarises research conducted by the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources Canada (CPHR Canada), and is not part of the CIPD People Profession 2023 survey data. However, it provides a useful comparison of the main trends impacting people professionals in Canada and can be read in conjunction with the accompanying CIPD People Profession 2023 survey reports below. These reports explore how global issues are affecting nine countries across the UK and Ireland, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa.

By taking the pulse of the profession internationally, and building on our previous reports, the findings of these reports reflect the CIPD’s ongoing commitment to provide an informed view on how we can collaborate globally, develop professional capital within the industry and build HR functions that are future-fit across different regions and markets.

Key findings in Canada

• Six out of ten Canadian people professionals considered recruitment a very or extremely difficult issue in the last year, with the main challenges being a lack of applicants and candidates not having the hard skills or experience required for positions. In the same vein, 33% said they found retention very or extremely difficult.
• Over half of respondents (55%) said their organisation has a formal EDI strategy in place, with popular initiatives including EDI training, inclusive job postings, unconscious bias training and establishing an EDI committee. However, only 22% said their employer measures EDI in their organisation.
• Ninety-five per cent of respondents said they are proud of the work that they do as HR professionals and 80% feel that the profession fulfils a strategic role in their organisation.

Recommendations

• It’s important for organisations to take a holistic approach to their retention strategy and adapt their offer to changing employee preferences. Diverse working environments are increasingly important for staff retention, particularly for younger employees, and prioritising EDI in the workplace is key to ensuring employees feel a sense of belonging.
• Organisations need to prioritise and measure EDI initiatives to ensure accountability to commitments, assess the effectiveness of existing policies and practices, and to make informed decisions about how to design and target activity.