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Canadian employers face AI trust gap as AI adoption outpaces workforce redesign
A Randstad survey found only 49.0% of Canadian workers feel optimistic about the next year, while 46.0% of office workers think AI is mainly designed to benefit companies.
Insurance Business reports that Canadian organizations are investing in AI faster than they are redesigning workforces to support the technology, and the mismatch is showing up in talent trust and retention risk. The outlet frames the issue as a strategic choice between treating AI as a workforce investment versus using it primarily as a cost-cutting tool, saying the difference affects employer brand and confidence among teams.
According to Insurance Business, Brent Dul, Executive Vice-President at Randstad Canada, argues that AI transformations should be positioned around human capability rather than headcount reductions. He warned that relying on AI as a cost-cutting measure can alienate workers and widen what he described as a workforce confidence gap.
The article cites Randstad’s 2026 Work Monitor survey of more than 27,000 workers and 1,225 employers across 35 markets, including Canada. It said 98.0% of Canadian employers are confident of growing in the next year, but only 49.0% of Canadian workers share that optimism, and 46.0% of Canadian office workers believe AI adoption is designed mainly to benefit companies, not them.
Insurance Business also reported productivity and confidence differences between workers and employers. Globally, 62.0% of workers said AI has positively impacted their productivity, while in Canada the figure was 57.0%, and only 44.0% of Canadian employers said AI increased company productivity compared with 54.0% globally. The article noted that 62.0% of Canadian talent said they feel confident using the latest technology, while Dul cautioned that upskilling and communication still matter to secure buy-in for AI change.
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