Skills, Mindsets and Careers Built for What’s Next

We’re at a turning point in the future of work. Global forces and shifting employer demand have created a unique—and some might argue unprecedented—set of circumstances for businesspeople to be planning a career. Labour markets in Canada are in a period of relative softness, with unemployment ticking upward. Organizations of all types are grappling with the economic uncertainty of tariffs and inflation, forcing many to freeze or slow hiring. The relentless pace of technological disruption—specifically, the blistering ascent of AI—is prompting many employers to revisit what, exactly, they want and need humans to do. According to the World Economic Forum, 39 per cent of workforce skills will change or become outdated by 2030.

“We’re watching the world of work transform in real-time,” explains Karen Jackson-Cox, executive director of the Smith Career Advancement Centre. “That shift is redefining how business schools adapt to build the next generation of high-impact leaders.” 

Adapting to the new employment reality requires a commitment to continuous learning, says Jackson-Cox: “You have to embrace the mindset of sharpening the saw—continuously acquiring new knowledge and skills.” It also requires the flexibility to adapt your transferable skills and evolving interests as hiring landscapes change: “In this type of market, you need to have a plan B, C, and even D.” Resilience is equally essential to navigate complicated career paths, initiate dozens of coffee chats with industry professionals, and to persevere when your resume is continuously rejected by a screening bot. 

What the situation does not warrant is panic. The World Economic Forum anticipates that the defining macro trends of our times—including technological development, green transition, economic changes, and demographic shifts—will create 170 million new jobs worldwide, nearly twice as many as will be displaced. The employers of tomorrow will be looking for a well-rounded set of capabilities: specifically, individuals who can blend technical competence with so-called soft skills to stay relevant and adaptable to rapid changes in how work takes place. Jackson-Cox says there’s a strong emphasis on career durability skills: capabilities that enable jobseekers to stay relevant and adaptable. These include learning agility, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration and digital fluency. “Career durability is rooted in self-awareness and purpose,” Jackson-Cox says. “It’s less about a single job, and more about sustaining long-term employability, resilience and fulfillment across a complex career journey.”

There are plenty of bright spots on the employment landscape that illustrate just that, if you know where to look.

To find out what it takes to build a thriving career in today’s economy, we asked five Smith alumni with interesting, important and in-demand jobs to tell us what it takes to do what they do:

• Gaurav Saluja (MBA’12) on digital strategy
• Anna Hannem (MMIE’25) on data risk
• Behnoosh Ramezani (MFin’20) on sustainable investing
• Tosin Akinwekomi (AMBA’15) on transformation leadership
• Kris Hayward (MDPM’23) on digital product management

Today’s career landscape may be complex, but it’s also rich with opportunity for those willing to evolve with it. The perspectives of these Smith alumni offer a roadmap for anyone looking to navigate the shifting business world, and to chart their own course in the new career frontier.