Overall, 58 per cent of Canadian employers plan to boost hiring — compared to 55 per cent at start of year
Nearly six in 10 (58 per cent) Canadian employers plan to increase permanent hiring during the second half of 2026, up from 55 per cent at the start of the year.
In addition, 45 per cent say they expect to hire contract professionals to access specialized expertise and keep priority initiatives on track.
"Many organizations are ready to advance important business priorities, but successful execution relies on having the right skills in place," says Koula Vasilopoulos, senior managing director at Robert Half, Canada, which did the survey. "Employers are broadening their talent strategies, leveraging both permanent and contract professionals to access critical skills and keep strategic projects moving forward."
The research, conducted by an independent research firm in April 2026, ranked six professional fields by hiring intentions.
|
Rank |
Professional field |
Plans to hire |
|
1 |
Legal |
74 per cent |
|
2 |
Marketing and creative |
66 per cent |
|
3 |
HR |
64 per cent |
|
4 |
Finance and accounting |
58 per cent |
|
5 |
Technology |
48 per cent |
|
6 |
Administrative and customer support |
41 per cent |
Canadian job seekers are increasingly driven by economic anxiety rather than career ambition, which may signal rising turnover risk and shifting salary expectations among current employees, according to another recent survey.
Skills shortages disrupt project delivery
Despite rising hiring intentions, Robert Half's survey found that 53 per cent of hiring managers say finding qualified talent is more difficult than before. The shortage is affecting more than recruitment timelines: it is disrupting the execution of business priorities that HR teams are often tasked with supporting.
And 56 per cent of hiring managers experienced significant project delays over the past year, while 48 per cent said they had cancelled projects entirely because they lacked the necessary skills to complete the work.
Robert Half's research identified the top specific skills employers are struggling to find:
- technical or specialized skills (cited by 48 per cent of respondents)
- industry-specific knowledge or experience (47 per cent)
- leadership abilities (41 per cent)
Separately, 53 per cent of hiring managers named specialized skills as the attribute they value most when hiring.
To address these gaps, nearly four in 10 employers, or 37 per cent, said they prioritize hiring high-potential candidates and investing in their development when fully qualified talent is not available to contribute immediately.
More than a third (34%) of Canadian hiring managers who eliminated positions after implementing AI have since had to add those roles — or very similar ones — back, according to a previous report.
