Canada’s information technology landscape is poised to endure a “significant overhaul of traditional talent strategies due to rapid technological advancements, evolving workforce expectations, and new generations entering the job market,” concludes an annual report from Ontario’s Info-Tech Research Group.
The report outlines trends that Info-Tech believes will shape the future of IT talent management. These trends include escalating hiring and retention costs, the rise of generative artificial intelligence, and an increasingly frequent need to upskill workforces.
Info-Tech emphasizes that these advancements are not just technical shifts but critical moments influencing broader organizational goals, indicating a need for leaders to adapt to rapidly changing market demands.
“As we look ahead to 2025, IT leaders face an exponentially evolving environment where innovation and strategic foresight are essential,” stated Gord Harrison, Chief Research Officer at Info-Tech Research Group.
“Our research over the past year has highlighted critical shifts, from the transformative potential of generative AI to the urgent need for post-quantum cryptography,” Harrison continued. “These trends aren’t just influencing IT; they’re reshaping how organizations secure growth and build resilience.”
As the tech industry makes continuous shifts, leaders must evaluate what is missing and where to invest, according to the report. This involves reimagining workplaces structures and talent processes, Info-Tech suggests.
For example, the skills organizations require are changing faster than formal education can keep up with, prompting the emergence of upskilling platforms.
Another example is how, as remote and hybrid work remain prevalent throughout the tech sector, IT professionals are now in some ways responsible for the new digital “office,” with corporate IT work perhaps having a greater impact on employee wellbeing than ever before.
“Managers, leaders, and organizations need to examine the ways in which they show up to create positive experiences—especially positive digital experiences—in the day-to-day,” the report argues.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to these concerns, however, especially given the pace of change.
Info-Tech’s report suggests developing a future-proof workforce plan that easily onboards new hires, anticipates capabilities and skills needed in the future, and actively trains the next generation of talent for all key positions. The report also favours upskilling workforces with AI competencies to stay ahead of the curve on one of the most transformative technologies of the modern era.
“The number of new technology skills required to support emerging technologies is quite high,” the report warns, “and the list is constantly evolving.”
While 2030 might still seem far off, the reality is “every organization must constantly engage in workforce planning to account for the skills of the future.”
“We cannot predict the situational landscape we’ll find ourselves in five years from now,” the report notes.
Based on 2024 data from IBM, current IT skills will become outdated over the next five years—not just once, but twice.
Therefore, organizations unable to parallel this rate of evolution risk falling further and further behind in the future.
