As Deloitte prepares to reveal the winners of this year’s Technology Fast 50 program, the organization is laying out the blueprint for workforce success in Canada.
As breakout technology companies “rewrite the rules of growth,” the results of Deloitte Insight’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends survey suggest trends across talent, innovation, and capital.
For the first time, Fast 50 application data have been combined with insights from RBCx, EDC, TMX, and Deloitte Ventures to identify the fuel behind the winners’ impressive growth.
“Canadian-founded technology companies … create high-value jobs, fuel innovation, attract investment, and bring Canadian ideas to the global stage,” commented Cheryl Manuel, who functions as Relationships Officer for Deloitte Canada. “Their growth strengthens our economy today while helping shape the industries of tomorrow.”
On the capital front, technology companies are “scaling against a tough backdrop,” according to the trends report—but Deloitte notes that the strongest performers are adapting to headwinds through discipline and strategy which cultivates organizational durability and workplace resilience.
As capital concentrates into fewer funds, fewer companies, fewer sectors, and fewer rounds, efficient scaling, effective use of workforce resources, and calculated decisions around ownership structure and fundraising timing become critical tactics.
On the innovation front, high-performing companies continue to prioritize research and development investment, including the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, according to data from the survey.
And with regards to talent, competition remains fierce as Canada “continues to lose skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and intellectual property to the United States due to higher salaries, better access to capital, and greater acquisition activity.”
Indeed, the “brain drain” problem has become so severe that, north of the border, “securing talent now rivals securing funding as a key barrier to growth.”
Among Fast 50 applications, workforce planning has risen to become the most cited anticipated challenge, with 59% concerned versus 56% concerned with raising capital.
And emerging tech like AI are actively reshaping business models and operating processes. As this occurs, companies must “develop the skills needed to realize the productivity potential of these investments.”
But the rate of change is often outpacing even top performers. While 85% of leaders say the ability to adapt quickly is critical to their organization’s success, only 7% report making significant progress toward that goal, Deloitte’s data reveals.
Overall, Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends report suggests that organizations “build talent ahead of demand” by investing in upskilling and leadership development “before the next phase of growth begins.”
