Looking Ahead: What Jobs will be in Demand in Canada in 10 Years

This article is my attempt to step back and examine the situation to determine what Canadian jobs might look like in 10 years.

While AI will certainly have an impact on Canada’s jobs market, it is only one factor in a changing world. In addition to AI, the world is expected to accelerate a transition to green energy. Meanwhile, as Canada’s population ages, the country will need more healthcare professionals. Plus, there’s the ever-needed careers in construction and engineering to build and maintain the infrastructure for Canada’s growing population.

Taking these factors – and more! – into consideration, I’ve put together a list of what I predict to be the most in-demand jobs in Canada in 10 years.

The Most In-Demand Jobs in Canada in 2035

To do my research, I consulted several online resources about the direction of the economy, in Canada and beyond. I noticed that most of the predicted in-demand jobs fell into one of five categories, each with a distinct purpose.

1. AI & Technology
2. Green Energy
3. Healthcare Workers
4. Teachers
5. Construction & Engineering Workers

One quick caveat before we dive in: no one can tell you with perfect certainty what the labour market will look like in 2035. The closest official national projections currently run to 2033, so a lot of this is an informed read on where those trends are headed next. Still, the patterns are pretty clear. Canada is likely to need more people who can build digital systems, more people who can power a lower-carbon economy, more people who can care for an aging population, more teachers, and more workers to build and maintain housing and infrastructure.

1. AI & Technology Jobs

As AI technologies continue to accelerate, they are expected to completely transform many industries. I’ve covered this topic before, writing about which jobs might be replaced by AI and how you can keep up with the changes. However, AI also presents an opportunity for those willing to learn the skills needed to navigate this transformative technology.

AI and Machine Learning Specialists

This is the most obvious one, so let’s start there.

As organizations experiment with generative AI, automation, and predictive tools, there will be continued demand for people who can build, train, test, and manage these systems. In Canada, AI jobs are still a relatively small slice of the labour market, but OECD analysis shows the field expanded steadily through 2021 and remains strategically important even after cooling from its peak. In other words: these jobs may not become the largest category in the country, but they’re likely to remain highly valuable.

Data Scientists

With the advent of new technology and our increasingly digital age, the coming decade is expected to bring a tsunami of new data. The issue won’t be collecting data – it will be interpreting it. As such, data scientists are expected to play a huge role in decision-making processes across industries.

Canada’s occupational projections currently point to roughly 10,000 job openings for data scientists between 2024 and 2033, with demand and supply expected to be fairly close overall. That may not sound explosive, but it does tell us something useful: data work is becoming a normal, embedded part of how companies operate.

Software Engineers (with AI experience)

I’d be careful here. I don’t think “generic software engineer” is the same golden ticket it may have seemed a few years ago. Canada’s official projections suggest software engineers and software developers will remain important occupations, but broadly speaking, labour demand and labour supply are expected to stay relatively in line through 2033.

That said, software workers who can build AI-enabled products, integrate automation into existing systems, or work across software and data are likely to be in a stronger position than those who rely on more routine coding tasks alone. If I were advising someone entering this field today, I’d push them toward software plus AI fluency, not software in isolation.

Cybersecurity Professionals

As work becomes more digital, cyber risk grows with it. Companies, governments, healthcare institutions, banks, and schools all need to protect data and systems. That’s not going away. If anything, it gets more urgent as AI tools spread, because they create new security and governance problems alongside new efficiencies.

Canada’s broader digital economy is still growing, and cybersecurity is one of the areas where talent shortages keep coming up in sector reports. I would be surprised if that changed meaningfully over the next decade.

2. Green Energy Workers

The green transition is no longer some abstract future project. It is happening now, and it is expected to create substantial demand for workers over the next couple of decades.

Natural Resources Canada projects 130,000 additional job openings in electricity and renewable energy between 2028 and 2050, including about 60,000 tied to expansion demand. That’s a big number, and it points to steady long-term growth rather than a short-lived hiring spike. Clean Energy Canada has also projected significant gains in clean energy employment by 2030.

Renewable Energy Experts

This is a broad bucket, but intentionally so. The green economy will need engineers, project managers, grid planners, electricians, policy specialists, and technical workers who understand renewable systems and low-carbon infrastructure.

Wind Turbine Technicians

As Canada adds renewable electricity capacity, wind power will need workers who can install, maintain, and repair equipment in the field. This is one of those jobs that looks especially durable to me because it combines technical skill with physical, site-based work.

Solar Photovoltaic Installers

Same basic logic here. Solar growth means more need for people who can install and maintain systems on homes, businesses, and larger energy projects. This is practical work. It can’t be fully outsourced to software, and it fits neatly with Canada’s push toward lower-emissions energy.

3. Healthcare Workers

This category is one of the safest bets on the list.

Canada’s population is aging. Statistics Canada has projected the population aged 85 and older to triple by 2051, and CIHI continues to report major strains in the health workforce, including an estimated 49% increase in family physicians needed just to meet current demand. That is before we even get into the added pressure of the next decade.

Registered Nurses

Registered nurses and psychiatric nurses are already projected to face a strong risk of shortage nationally through 2033. That alone tells you a lot. Nursing is going to be an essential occupation in the next decade.

Nursing Aides

Nurse aides, orderlies, patient service associates, and personal support workers sit right at the heart of Canada’s care economy. These roles are also projected to face a strong risk of shortage nationally, which makes sense given the growth in care needs and the physical, hands-on nature of the work.

Physicians

Family medicine in particular is a huge pressure point. Canada already does not have enough family doctors, and that shortage is likely to persist unless training, recruitment, and retention improve significantly.

4. Teachers

I’m including teachers here quite deliberately. (And it’s not because my mom is a teacher and I know how hard she works!)

It’s easy to focus only on tech and healthcare when talking about the future. But Canada is also going to need a lot of teachers over the next decade, partly because of retirements and partly because teacher shortages are already showing up in many regions.

Federal projections show 131,800 job openings for elementary and kindergarten teachers between 2024 and 2033, with a moderate risk of shortage nationally. Secondary school teachers are also projected to face a moderate risk of shortage, and in some provinces and territories the short-term outlook is even stronger.

5. Construction & Engineering Workers

This one is as close to a lock as anything on the list.

Canada needs housing, infrastructure, transit, utilities, maintenance, and major project work. And the workers who build and sustain all of that are already in short supply in many parts of the country.

The federal government said earlier this year that Canada will need more than 1.4 million new trades workers by 2033, driven by both retirements and growth. BuildForce Canada’s national forecast also points to elevated construction demand through 2034.

Moving2Canada even has a sister company, Outpost Recruitment, dedicated to recruiting construction & engineering professionals for Canadian project – including many workers from outside Canada. Think you might be a good match? Learn more about Outpost here.

Construction Workers

A lot of the pressure here starts with basic labour demand. Housing shortages do not fix themselves, and neither do hospitals, roads, schools, or public transit expansions.

Civil & Mechanical Engineers

Civil engineers and mechanical engineers are both projected to face a moderate risk of shortage nationally through 2033. These are the people who help design and oversee the systems and structures that hold everything together.

Skilled Tradespeople

Electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, HVAC technicians, and related trades are going to remain central to Canada’s economy. This is one of those areas where the labour market story is not subtle. The need is already here, and it is expected to continue.

Plan ahead for success in Canada’s workforce

If I had to sum all of this up simply, I’d say the jobs most likely to matter in Canada in 2035 fall into two camps.

First, there are the jobs helping Canada adapt to change: AI, data, software, cybersecurity, and green energy. Second, there are the jobs that remain deeply human and stubbornly necessary: nursing, teaching, caregiving, construction, and engineering.

That’s probably the most useful way to think about the next decade. Yes, AI will reshape work. But it won’t erase the need for people to care for an aging population, teach children, build homes, run power systems, and solve practical problems in the real world.

If you’re trying to future-proof your career in Canada: start there.

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