Stokes Labour Market Study

Ontario is entering a period of critical economic transformation. The province has set out ambitious priorities, from building homes and expanding infrastructure to strengthening health care and growing key industries like mining, life sciences and defence. Delivering on these commitments depends on a skilled workforce that is trained and ready to work. College and polytechnic graduates are essential to this mission; they are the professionals turning policy priorities into reality across Ontario.

The critical question raised is: does Ontario have the skilled and available workforce necessary for delivering on its own priorities?

To address this, Colleges Ontario engaged Stokes Economics to assess the future landscape of Ontario’s workforce. This report examines:

• the projected demand for college- and polytechnic-educated workers across priority sectors;
• the expected supply of new graduates entering the labour market;
• the gap between this supply and demand;
• the economic implications as they relate to the gap.

This analysis provides a data-driven look at whether Ontario’s talent pipeline is prepared to meet the province’s ambitions and the potential cost of falling short.