Canadian CEOs are pushing through and investing in growth. Is your Workforce Ready!?

The latest EY-Parthenon Canada CEO Outlook Survey paints a clear picture: despite economic uncertainty, geopolitical disruption, trade concerns, and rapid technological change, Canadian business leaders are not standing still.

In fact, they are doing the opposite.

According to EY's Spring 2026 Canada CEO Outlook Survey, 62% of Canadian CEOs intend to pursue mergers and acquisitions, while 80% are increasing their focus on AI investments. More importantly, 98% of Canadian leaders are currently undergoing (or planning) significant enterprise-wide transformation initiatives.

These leaders are prioritizing disciplined growth, productivity improvements, and operational excellence rather than simply waiting for economic conditions to improve.

As HR practitioners and business leaders, we should be asking a critical question:

If our organizations are transforming, is our workforce transforming with us?

The Missing Piece in Most Growth Strategies

Many organizations invest heavily in technology, process improvement, acquisitions, and operational efficiencies. Yet one of the most common reasons transformation initiatives fail is not technology, it is people.

The EY survey highlights that CEOs increasingly recognize the need to redesign roles, reskill employees, and embed continuous learning into their organizations as AI and digital transformation accelerate. The focus has shifted from simply adopting new technology to ensuring employees can effectively work alongside it.

This is where HR must move from a support function to a strategic business partner, which of course Unlimited HRM Solutions can support.

Workforce planning can no longer be an annual exercise completed during budget season. It must become an ongoing business discipline that aligns talent capabilities with future organizational objectives.

AI Isn't Replacing Your Workforce, It's Changing It

One of the most interesting findings from the broader EY CEO research is that leaders are increasingly focused on reskilling and redesigning work rather than reducing headcount. Organizations are recognizing that technology creates value when employees know how to use it effectively.

For small and medium-sized businesses, this creates both an opportunity and a challenge.

The opportunity is increased productivity, better decision-making, and greater operational efficiency.

The challenge is ensuring employees have the skills, confidence, and support required to adapt.

Organizations that invest in learning and development today will be better positioned to compete tomorrow. Those that fail to develop internal capabilities may find themselves struggling to recruit increasingly scarce talent in a competitive labour market.

Just like Continuous Improvement in business is a must, Continuous Learning Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage

Historically, training was often viewed as an expense.

Today, it is becoming a business necessity.

The organizations that thrive over the next decade will be those that create cultures of continuous learning, where employees regularly build new skills, adapt to changing technologies, and contribute to innovation.

This doesn't require massive budgets.

It requires intentionality:

• Clear development plans

• Leadership coaching

• Skills gap assessments

• Cross-training opportunities

• Succession planning

• Technology adoption training

• Knowledge-sharing programs

When employees see investment in their growth, engagement improves, retention increases, and organizational resilience strengthens.

HR's Role in Building Organizational Resilience

The EY survey repeatedly references resilience, adaptability, and disciplined growth. Those objectives cannot be achieved without a strong people strategy.

Organizations should be evaluating:

• Do we have the skills needed for the next three to five years?

• Which roles are likely to evolve because of AI and automation?

• What critical knowledge exists with only a few employees?

• Are our leaders equipped to manage change effectively?

• Do our employees understand where the organization is heading?

Have you audited your employees' compentiences?

These are not technology questions.

They are people questions.

And they are exactly the kinds of questions HR should be helping organizations answer.

My Final word...

Canadian CEOs are sending a strong message: growth remains the priority, even amid uncertainty.

Businesses are no doubt investing in AI, pursuing acquisitions, improving productivity, and transforming their operations to remain competitive.

The organizations that succeed will not simply be the ones with the best technology or the strongest balance sheets.

They will be the organizations that align their workforce strategy with their business strategy.

Because transformation does not happen through systems, software, or spreadsheets.

Transformation happens through people.

Sincerely,

Carmelinda Galota

References

EY-Parthenon. Canada CEO Outlook 2026. Spring 2026. Canadian findings from the EY-Parthenon CEO Outlook Survey of global business leaders.

EY-Parthenon. CEO Outlook 2026: Growth, AI and Transformation in a Volatile World. 2026.