From Precarity to a Prepared and Competitive Canada
May 16, 2025
Between April 16 and 21, 2025, Abacus Data conducted a national survey of 1,920 Canadian adults (18+), on behalf of the University of Toronto, to understand what Canadians believe is needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The findings reveal a country at a turning point: confidence in long-term stability is wavering, yet support for bold, forward-looking action is strong. Canadians are calling for a new economic strategy – one that invests in innovation, equips the workforce for change, and attracts global talent to keep Canada competitive in the years to come.
A Divided Outlook Reveals Growing Economic Precarity
Canada stands at an economic crossroads. While more than half of Canadians (55%) remain confident that the economy will deliver good jobs for the next generation, a sizable 45% are not so sure. This divide reveals something deeper than a split in outlook – it highlights a continued shift toward a precarity mindset, where economic uncertainty is no longer limited to vulnerable groups but felt across generational, political, and socioeconomic lines. For many, the future feels less like a promise and more like a risk – highlighting growing unease about economic opportunity and stability.
Most Canadians Expect Financial Disruption Ahead
Today, many Canadians are preparing themselves for long-term financial disruption. 78% believe that major changes in the economy will impact their family’s financial security within the next five years. Younger adults feel this the most, with 83% of those aged 18 to 29 expecting financial disruption. Even among those who have typically felt more insulated from change – older Canadians and higher-income earners – the sense of vulnerability is rising.
This unease isn’t just about inflation or interest rates. It reflects a broader anxiety that Canada’s systems – its workforce, institutions, and industries – aren’t keeping pace with a rapidly changing global economy.
Urgency to Future-Proof the Workforce and Economy
Across the board, Canadians believe the country isn’t doing enough to prepare. Half of respondents say Canada is falling short on training and upskilling workers, and over 8 in 10 (82%) agree that failing to invest in future-ready industries puts the country at risk of falling behind. Notably, this concern is shared across age groups and political affiliations, including 88% of those over 60.
This isn’t simply a call for economic stimulus, it’s a demand for strategic modernization. Canadians are making it clear that traditional approaches to jobs, education, and growth no longer fit today’s rapidly evolving reality. In their place, there’s growing support for forward-looking policies and investments that build resilience and prepare the country for long-term uncertainty.
Canadians Support a Forward-Focused Economic Strategy
While many recognize the need to address short-term pressures, even more believe Canada must look ahead. Nearly half (48%) say we must manage today’s challenges while actively planning for tomorrow, and another 34% say the current economic moment reflects a long-term shift that demands preparation for the future. Together, these findings reflect a forward-looking mindset, with most Canadians acknowledging the need for a new economic strategy that looks beyond short-term relief.
Broad Support for Investing in Innovation and R&D
Canadians show strong support for investing in research, innovation, and next-generation sectors. 73% support boosting research and development in new and emerging industries, more than those who want to support existing industries (66%) or attract multinationals with tax incentives (58%). This suggests Canadians prefer to build economic resilience from within, through innovation, research, and strategic talent development.
This preference for nurturing homegrown innovation is echoed in the 78% who agree the federal government should increase investment in Canadian universities and research hospitals to both strengthen innovation and attract top global researchers. This consensus reveals a shared belief among Canadians that Canada’s long-term success lies in building knowledge-based industries and preparing for an evolving global economy.
Global Talent Seen as Essential to Canada’s Economic Growth
Many Canadians recognize that global talent is not a threat, it’s a resource, with 57% saying attracting international talent is essential to future economic growth, even if it means less immediate opportunities for domestic workers.
Support is particularly strong for bringing in workers who can fill critical gaps, such as healthcare professionals (92%), skilled tradespeople (84%), tech workers (82%), and researchers (81%).
This reflects a recognition that sustaining economic competitiveness depends on bringing in skilled workers, not just training them at home. Canadians increasingly understand that it’s not just about protecting domestic jobs, it’s about ensuring the country can lead in a global economy. Support for practical, impact-driven immigration aligned with labour market needs shows a forward-looking view of what growth really demands.
The Upshot
Canadians are no longer thinking only about today’s challenges, they’re questioning whether the systems meant to support them are built for the future. The rise of the precarity mindset is a clear signal that people feel increasingly vulnerable in the face of rapid economic change. Confidence is fractured, concern is widespread, and expectations are shifting.
But within that uncertainty lies a powerful consensus: Canadians want to see the country take bold steps to future-proof the economy – there is growing support for investments in innovation, upskilling, and homegrown research capacity. There is also a forward-looking view that Canada’s competitiveness depends not just on supporting local talent, but on attracting the world’s best to help build what comes next.
This isn’t about choosing between growth and protection, or between domestic opportunity and global talent. It’s about designing a strategy that equips Canada to lead, by investing in the industries, skills, and people that will shape the future.
To move from precarity to preparedness, Canada must act decisively: invest in innovation, build resilient systems, and welcome the talent that will power tomorrow’s economy. Canadians are ready for a strategy that’s as ambitious as the moment demands.
Methodology
The survey was conducted with 1,920 Canadian adults from April 16 to 21, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.24%, 19 times out of 20.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region.
This survey was paid for by the University of Toronto.
Abacus Data follows the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements that can be found here: https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/
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