Canadian workers say employers favour tech over careers

Capital One Canada has published survey findings on how Canadian business and technology professionals view rapid workplace technology adoption. The poll suggests many workers feel employers are prioritising technology spending over career development.

The survey of 1,004 full-time workers in business-focused and technology-oriented roles found that 51% believe their employer is focused mostly or exclusively on investing in new technologies and tools rather than employee career development. Just 11% said the focus was mostly or exclusively on employee development.

The results also point to strain as workplaces adjust to new systems and ways of working. Overall, 43% said the shift towards new workplace technologies had increased their stress levels. That rose to 52% among those in technology-oriented jobs such as software developers and data scientists.

Another 63% said rapid technology integration had harmed at least one human element of work, including informal communication, connection with colleagues, mentorship, or feeling valued by senior leadership. Half described the pace of technological integration at work as fast, and 17% said it had been difficult to keep up.

Even so, confidence in employability has not collapsed. Some 79% of Canadian tech and business professionals said they felt their current skills would be sufficient to perform their role effectively over the next three to five years.

That confidence sits alongside concern about how jobs may change. Among respondents in technology-oriented roles, 61% said they were concerned their specific role could change significantly over the next five years because of the integration of new workplace technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Skills balance

The data also showed workers are looking for ways to respond. Of those surveyed, 67% said they were considering taking at least one action to manage workplace change, while 33% cited upskilling or further education.

Views on existing employer training were mixed but not uniformly negative. More than half rated the accessibility of upskilling or training offered by their employer as good or excellent, at 57%, while 55% said the same of its relevance.

Perceptions of human-centred skills remained relatively resilient. Nearly half of respondents, 47%, said such skills were valued as much at work as they had been two years earlier, while 36% said those skills had become even more valued over that period.

The findings come as employers across sectors introduce AI tools and other digital systems into everyday work, often with the stated aim of improving efficiency and reshaping processes. The survey indicates that many employees accept that direction while questioning whether companies are putting enough emphasis on mentoring, leadership development, and broader career support.

Susan Zettergren, Chief People Officer at Capital One Canada, said the issue for employers was not whether to adopt new technology but how to manage its effects on people.

"While the adoption of new technology is critical, it's important that employers remain focused on the people side of the equation. To thrive, businesses must balance technology advancements with bold investments in fundamental human skills like mentorship, leadership training, and educational resources to empower the leaders of the future. At Capital One Canada, this is a key priority for us," said Susan Zettergren, Chief People Officer at Capital One Canada.

The survey was conducted among Canadian residents aged 18 or older who work full-time in technology or business-focused roles. It used Leger's LEO panel and covered a sample large enough to produce a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The results add to a broader debate over whether organisations are moving faster on technology procurement than on workforce preparation. In this sample, the gap between perceptions of technology investment and employee development was pronounced, with workers more likely to say employers were directing resources towards tools than towards long-term staff growth.

That matters particularly in technology-oriented functions, where confidence in current skills can coexist with anxiety about structural changes to jobs. Workers may believe they can perform their current role well while still expecting it to look different as AI and other software become more embedded in day-to-day operations.

The findings also suggest workplace change is affecting more than tasks and workflows. Responses on communication, connection, mentorship, and recognition indicate that employees are measuring digital transformation not only by productivity but also by its effect on workplace relationships.

For employers, that may sharpen questions about how to introduce new tools without weakening the support structures that help staff adapt. For workers, the results show a mix of readiness and unease, with many saying they can meet current demands even as they seek more training and a stronger human framework around technological change.