Lighthouse Labs Survey Finds More than Half of Canadians Would Reskill Into A New Career If Given the Opportunity

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Canadian tech education leader, Lighthouse Labs, recently released new, eye-opening results from a survey that evaluated the state of Canada’s workforce and the outlook of employed Canadians on their careers. A survey of over 1,000 professionals revealed that, if opportunities were made available to them, 57% would reskill into a new career.

This survey aligns with the launch of Lighthouse Labs’ Web Development Flex Program, which is another way the company is making tech education more accessible through accelerated, personalized, outcomes-oriented training. Web Flex is introduced as a counterpart to Lighthouse Labs’ popular Web Bootcamp, and offers the same renowned curriculum over a less concentrated schedule and timeline.

“We’re seeing a dramatic shift in the career trajectories of Canadian workers, and even more so among those that have been in the same industry for many years,” said Jeremy Shaki, CEO and Founder of Lighthouse Labs. “With ongoing advancements in technology, Canadians deserve access to reskilling opportunities. In turn, this will help to create a healthier Canadian workforce and a stronger economy. Through the launch of Lighthouse Lab’s Web Development Flex Program, Canadians now have another avenue through which to explore new career paths and develop the necessary skills on their own time, without having to sacrifice their current job or income.”

Ready for a Career Change

When asked if they would change careers given the opportunity, 57% of Canadians reported they would take the leap, with self-identified members of marginalized groups like women and racialized people being most likely to make the change. Those working part-time are more likely to reskill (62%) compared to Canadians working full-time (56%).

• More Canadian women (60%) say that they’d reskill given the opportunity compared to men (54%)
• 83% of LGBTQ Canadians, 80% of Black Canadians, 74% of Indigenous people, and 69% of people of colour would reskill if given the opportunity

What’s Holding You Back?

There are multiple reasons why Canadians are unable or unwilling to make a career change, and for 41% of respondents, it’s the loss of income caused by taking a program to reskill. In particular, loss of income was the greatest concern for 45% of men. For 48% of Canadian women, not having enough time to devote to reskilling is their greatest concern.

• Over a third (36%) of Canadians say that fear of starting from scratch is stopping them from changing careers
• Men are more fearful of starting careers from scratch compared to women
• Canadians that are working part-time are more likely to say the cost of tuition is holding them back from changing careers (25%)
• Full-time employees (44%) are more likely to say that lack of income caused by taking a program is holding them back, compared to part-time workers (32%)

Future of Work

There’s no denying that the skills we’re expected to have to succeed professionally are changing, but when it comes to Canadians’ education, 36% say that they’re not prepared for a career that involves digital literacy, automation, tech skills, or coding. Members of marginalized communities report being the most unprepared, with 90% of those who identify as LGBTQ, 80% of Black Canadians, 80% of Indigenous people, and 67% of people of colour saying their education has not prepared them for a digital workforce.

• More Canadian women (40%) say that they aren’t prepared compared to Canadian men (33%)
• 73% of those working in professional services, and 73% of those working in arts and entertainment don’t feel they are prepared for the future of work
• Canadians who work in manufacturing are the most prepared, with 45% reporting they are prepared for the future of work

New Career, New Salary

An increase in salary is a significant incentive in starting a new career in a new industry, but surprisingly, nearly 1 in 5 (18%) Canadians say they wouldn’t need an increase at all to make the change.

• 80% of Canadian women and 86% of men say they would need an increase to reskill
• 1 in 5 Canadians would need an increase between $10-20K to reskill
• Over a quarter of Canadians (26%) say they’d have to make over $40K more a year to change career paths
• 16% of part-time employees say they’d only need an increase of up to $10K in salary to reskill as compared to 6% of full-time employees
• 29% of full-time employees say they’d need an increase of $40k or more in salary to reskill as compared to 15% of part-time employees

Recognizing that employed Canadians need additional support to make the jump, Lighthouse Labs is offering all Canadians applying to the Web Development Flex Program the option to receive a $3,500 scholarship. To apply, applicants simply need to fill out an additional application to be considered for the full scholarship.

For more information regarding the Web Development Flex Program and scholarship, visit: lighthouselabs.ca

About Lighthouse Labs

Lighthouse Labs was launched in 2013 with the goal of finding innovative ways to train the next generation of tech talent. In an age of technological disruption across every industry, our mission is to give Canadians the skills they need to find long-lasting careers in a digital workforce. Seven years later, we’ve delivered hands-on tech education to over 30,000 Canadians, equipping them with the relevant tools to thrive in the future of work. With the support of a brilliant team of instructors and mentors, we continue to empower students, launch careers, and contribute to the incredible growth of Canada’s tech industry.