Borderless AI has released a report on how artificial intelligence is affecting Canadian workers.
Conducted with Angus Reid, the 2026 Canadian Employment Pulse Check Report found that 46% of employed Canadians say AI is affecting their long-term career. It points to a labour market in which concerns about pay and job prospects outweigh fears of outright job replacement.
Among employed Canadians, 41% cited wage stagnation as their main concern, while 30% pointed to difficulty finding new work and 26% worried about fewer opportunities for career advancement.
The findings suggest AI's effects are not evenly spread across the workforce. Canadians with university degrees reported the greatest impact, with 59% saying AI is affecting their long-term career, compared with 32% of those with a high school diploma.
That group also reported feeling less secure in their roles because of AI. Among Canadians with a university education or higher, 24% said AI had made them feel less secure in their jobs, versus 13% of high school graduates.
Even so, more highly educated workers were also more likely to respond by building new skills. Among Canadians with a university degree or higher, 26% said they were actively developing new skills because of AI.
Young workers
Age was another dividing line in the data. Canadians aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to report that AI was affecting their long-term career opportunities, at 57%.
Younger workers also reported less security in entry-level roles. Among young Canadians affected by AI, 49% said they felt less secure, were rethinking their career path, or were considering changing industries or roles because of it.
The broader backdrop is a tightening job market. The report says the North American labour market has shifted from an employee market to an employer market, leaving workers with fewer chances to change jobs for higher pay and less bargaining power over wages and benefits.
Against that backdrop, concern about AI replacing jobs entirely was present but less prominent than immediate financial pressure. The study found that 19% of respondents were concerned that AI and automation might replace their roles altogether.
What workers want
Pay emerged as the dominant factor in how Canadians assess employers. Salary and compensation were named by 74% of respondents as a top consideration when selecting an employer, followed by work-life balance at 59%, job security at 38% and flexible workplace options at 33%.
The data also showed a gender split on flexibility. While both men and women ranked salary and compensation first, 40% of women cited workplace flexibility as a priority, compared with 26% of men.
Among younger workers entering the labour force, salary was even more important. The report found that 78% of young Canadians viewed pay as the key factor when choosing an employer.
International appeal
The study also examined what might lead Canadians to work for an international company instead of a Canadian-owned business. Higher salary was the main draw, with 78% saying they would consider an international employer if the pay were better.
Other incentives included remote-work flexibility, cited by 53% of respondents, better job security at 36% and more career options at 30%.
Willson Cross, chief executive officer and co-founder of Borderless AI, is expected to discuss the findings on the effect of AI on university graduates and younger workers, as well as what is shaping employer decisions in Canada.
The report points to a workforce weighing AI against more immediate economic concerns, with salary, security and mobility shaping how Canadians judge their prospects in a changing labour market.