Future of work

Key takeaways

• Generative AI was the most-used AI technology at work from September 2024 to July 2025. 

• The share of workers who used generative AI nearly doubled during the survey period. 

• Workers in three industries—professional, scientific, and technical services; educational services; and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing—made up 25% of workers overall, yet represented about half of generative AI users. 

• Workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher were 37% more likely to have used generative AI in the last 12 months than those with a lower level of education. 

Plain language summary

Using data from the Canadian Survey on Working Conditions collected from September 2024 to July 2025, researchers examined workers aged 15-69 who used AI and automation technologies in their jobs.

Generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini) were the most widely used AI technology among workers during the survey period, with approximately 22% reporting use. Notably, that figure nearly doubled over the course of the survey, rising to 30% from 17%. This suggests that the adoption of AI technology among individual users is increasing.

The use of generative AI was heavily concentrated in certain industries and occupations. Workers in three industries—professional, scientific, and technical services; educational services; and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing—reported the highest rates of use, at 52%, 42%, and 38%, respectively.

Even though these workers represented only a quarter of all workers surveyed, they accounted for nearly half of all generative AI users.

By occupation, workers in natural and applied sciences and management roles were the most likely to use generative AI (49% and 38%, respectively), while those in manufacturing, utilities, and trades jobs reported the lowest rates of use (around 5%).

Educational attainment was one of the strongest predictors of AI use. Workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher were five times more likely to have used generative AI in the past year (37%) compared to those with a high school diploma or less (7%). This relationship persisted even after accounting for industry and occupation. It indicates that highly educated workers are more likely to adopt these tools regardless of sector.

Self-employed workers and public sector employees also showed relatively higher rates of generative AI use. Workers at private sector firms with fewer than 20 employees showed the lowest rates.

The report also uncovered notable sociodemographic patterns. Although men and women reported similar rates of generative AI use, a notable difference emerged after controlling for industry, occupation, and education: women were less likely to use generative AI within the same fields as men. For example, in the professional, scientific, and technical services industries, 55% of men reported using generative AI versus 47% of women.

Age was also a factor. Core-aged workers (those aged 25–54 years) had the highest rates of use, while older workers (55–69 years) were less likely to use these tools, even after adjusting for other characteristics.

Regionally, British Columbia and Ontario led in generative AI adoption, while Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Atlantic Canada reported the lowest rates.

Slightly fewer workers who used generative AI said their work pace depended on software or computing procedures (23%) compared to the average across all workers (24%). This signals that AI use in the workplace is still playing a largely supportive role rather than being a key driver of workflows and tasks.

Why the results matter

For the public sector, researchers, and Canadians:

• Collecting data on AI’s diffusion in the workforce can help us estimate its impact on productivity, worker health, and other key metrics. 

• Although AI has so far been used mainly to support knowledge-based tasks and roles in workplaces, the Canadian Survey on Working Conditions can track future applications in other contexts and sectors. 

• The adoption of other types of up-and-coming AI technologies can also be tracked and analyzed. 

• While some industries and individuals stand to benefit significantly from using new technologies—resulting in higher productivity—others may see limited opportunities for application or face the risk of being replaced by AI at work.