Why organizations are rethinking the way they hire.

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For years, degrees acted like a shortcut in hiring. If someone had letters after their name, people assumed that meant capability, discipline, and readiness.

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But the Canadian labour market has changed — fast.

And companies relying on degree-first hiring are missing great people and making their own talent shortages worse.

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What’s actually happening?

Across Canada, employment patterns are shifting. Some frontline-heavy industries — like manufacturing, transportation, and logistics — have seen drops or fluctuations in core-aged workers (25–54) even while job vacancies stay high.

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This means one thing:
The pool of “traditional” candidates is getting smaller.

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Meanwhile, the people who can do the work — those with hands-on experience, transferable skills, and real problem-solving ability — often don’t have the degree employers still list on outdated job descriptions.

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Today, experience and capability are far stronger predictors of performance than a diploma.

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Where organizations get stuck

Many job descriptions haven’t caught up with reality. Employers keep posting rigid requirements like:

• “Bachelor’s degree required”

• “Must have 3–5 years in this exact role”

• “Specific industry experience only”

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But these filters eliminate the exact people who could excel — especially in a market struggling to attract reliable talent.

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This isn’t intentional gatekeeping.

It’s just outdated.

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Why this matters now

Canada is entering a major demographic shift. Older workers are retiring, younger workers are choosing non-traditional career paths, and businesses with frontline teams are competing fiercely for dependable, capable employees.

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In this environment, degree-first hiring becomes a barrier — not a safeguard.

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The fix: Move to competency-based hiring

Hiring needs to reflect what actually predicts success:

• communication

• adaptability

• judgement

• reliability

• hands-on skill

• willingness to learn

• problem-solving

• teamwork

A modern hiring approach includes:

• clear competency profiles

• behavioural interview questions

• practical examples

• openness to diverse backgrounds

• flexibility around education

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This isn’t lowering standards; it’s focusing on the standards that matter.

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The outcome

Organizations that hire for experience, potential, and real skills:

• fill roles faster

• onboard people more effectively

• strengthen diversity

• build more stable teams

• reduce turnover

• and tap into talent they would've missed before

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Hiring for experience isn’t a trend.
It’s a necessary shift — and it’s how strong teams are built today.