[News] Backgrounder on Workforce Alliances

On September 5, 2025, the Government of Canada announced bold measures to protect, build and transform Canadian industries most affected by tariffs and global trade disruptions. As part of this response, six Workforce Alliances are being established to mobilize industry leaders, workers and training institutions around a shared national vision: building a workforce that is skilled, adaptable and ready to meet Canada’s economic challenges. 

Each Workforce Alliance will include leader representatives from the sector, training institutions, unions, and will be supported by a dedicated delivery organization. These teams will be supported by a broader membership and network of stakeholders, to ensure the views of small, medium and large enterprises, equity deserving communities, youth and other stakeholders will directly contribute expertise, help develop solutions and guide Alliance activities. They will also work collaboratively with provincial and territorial governments, including through the Forum of Labour Market Ministers meetings, to ensure coordinated actions at the national, regional and local levels.

The Workforce Alliances will focus on six priority sectors essential to Canada’s economic resilience, sovereignty and long-term competitiveness. The Care Economy Workforce Alliance will focus on workers involved in caregiving and promote well-being, economic resilience, and gender equity across all sectors. It will include employers, unions, industry groups, post-secondary educational institutions and Indigenous partners connected to providing services that involve the direct care of others, such as children who require care due to young age, and adults (including older adults) with long-term conditions or disabilities. This area supports key caregiving systems and could alleviate pressure on unpaid caregivers. It has the potential to unlock stronger labour force participation, economic resilience, and gender equity. As provinces and territories primarily deliver on health care and education, this federally funded Alliance will prioritize cross-jurisdictional collaboration, focusing on workers and employers outside of formal systems such as early childhood educators or personal support workers.

• Key Facts:
• The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) indicates that the economic value of caregiving work is immense. According to the CCCE, caregivers in Canada spend 5.7 billion hours each year supporting others and are estimated to contribute the equivalent of 4.2 per cent of GDP or $97.1 billion annually to Canada’s economy.
• The care economy is an emerging global issue, with the International Labour Organization estimating that globally 2.3 billion adults and a 100 million children will need care as of 2030.
• In 2022, one in two Canadians aged 15 or older reported providing either unpaid or paid care in the past 12 months for care-dependent adults or children. As population aging continues, pressure on health and home care services and unpaid caregivers will likely intensify. Through this growing importance of care, the care economy is a potential “new economic growth engine”.

The Government of Canada will work closely with Alliance members to advance priorities and translate sector expertise into concrete action. This coordinated approach will keep Canada’s workforce strategy responsive, forward-looking and grounded in the real needs of workers and industries across the country.