Canadian Employers Are Now Prioritizing 'Soft Skills' & Here's What It Means For Your Job Hunt

People looking for a job in Canada seem to be in a favourable situation right now — as they may not need specific qualifications and relevant experience to be hired for a new opportunity.

According to a new survey, a low unemployment rate and a ton of vacancies in the workforce in Canada mean that those looking for employment actually have a ton of options.

Employers, on the other hand, have had it less easy and have had to adapt in response to the shifting labour market.

The research, which was completed by Censuswide on behalf of the career and hiring website Indeed, looked at 1,000 employers across Canada and how they're contending with today's job market.

The results showed that 77% of those surveyed are currently less interested in direct work experience. Instead, they care more about a candidate's ability and attitude towards learning required skills on the job.

This means that direct experience generally has been put on the back burner for now, as hirers are more interested in "soft skills." This refers to more personal attributes, such as the ability to learn, communicate effectively, and work within a team.

However, that number goes down to 37% when employers were asked if they would sacrifice several years' worth of experience to fill a position in the current labour market.

This shows that while a trend toward soft skills is happening, employers looking to fill positions that require extensive experience are more reluctant to forgo hard skills in a new hire.

However, the majority of employers are more open to taking on someone with less experience than they were previously, with 78% of those surveyed revealing that they would be willing to hire someone without a relevant degree or certificate.

That knowledge gap is being filled by certain organizations, around 45% of them, who offer relevant training in-house to ensure that a candidate is still able to thrive in their new role.

While a lot of employers have shifted their focus onto personal skills, there are positions in Canada that still require hard skills that are a struggle to fill.

This includes things like coding, engineering, health care or anything else that requires specific technical training or education.

So, it seems that if you're looking for work, whether you're technically trained or not, things look to be in your favour. At least right now.

If you want to show off some of those skills and hopefully land a job, there are a ton of places hiring in Canada right now, including Costco, the Canada Revenue Agency and Scotiabank.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.