Your Career Guide
The help already exists, it’s rated well, and much of it is free. Here’s how to make it work for you.
Only 19 per cent of adults in Canada have spoken with a career guidance advisor in the past five years – the lowest of 10 countries in an OECD comparison, and about half the 39 per cent international average. The same study rated Canada’s services well. The help is here and it works, but most of us just aren’t using it.
Few of us are actually trained to plan a career. Most figure it out as they go. Some take cues from a friend or family member who seems to have it sorted, others try something they read online, and a few periodically send out some applications in hopes of securing their next move.
Career support can cut through the noise
Then there’s the overwhelm of sifting through all of the options available today to advance careers. Which course is best? Which sector promises economic advantages? Which credential can help land a salary bump or promotion? Add labour market shifts to this mix, and what once felt tangible may now feel elusive.
Yet Canada has up to 60,000 career development professionals who are specifically trained in counselling, coaching, education and workforce development. They can often reduce that sense of overwhelm, and bring what feels elusive, within reach.
Career development professionals help clients name what they’re good at and what they find meaningful. Then, they can help identify real options, whether that’s switching sectors, retraining, or even working for yourself, for example.
Interestingly, in the OECD comparison, Canada was the only country surveyed where employed adults used career development services less than unemployed ones. Career professionals call this the fail-first approach, with most public funding being attached to unemployment, injury or layoff. This means our system is built around setbacks, instead of with proactive plans.
From reactive to proactive career planning
Within this context, the 2026 Human Progress Report found 77 per cent of employees surveyed across 18 countries, including Canada, said job security no longer exists without continuous adaptation, even though many couldn’t see where work is actually heading. Knowing you need to adapt is not the same as knowing what to adapt toward.
But this is exactly where career professionals’ expertise lies. They can work with you to: 1) Take stock of strengths you may have stopped noticing, including the ones built outside paid work; 2) Understand trends in your regional labour market; 3) Evaluate a training or education decision before investing money in it; 4) Think through a transition: a first job, a sector change, a promotion, time away or a return; and 5) Help you identify and articulate transferable skills that remain valuable as AI changes work.
Where to find support
The good news is more career support is available than people realize, and many services are even free:
- High schools: Guidance counsellors and career educators help students explore options and see how what they’re studying connects to work.
- Colleges and universities: Career centres are available for students, and often for alumni years after graduation.
- Community organizations, including newcomer services, and provincial or territorial employment centres: Publicly funded services provide valuable career support, though some programs have eligibility restrictions.
- Private practitioners: Career counsellors and coaches across the country can provide expert support, generally for a fee.
Some employers offer career management programs internally too – it is always worth asking. In a CERIC and Environics survey, 27 per cent of respondents reported having such programs. And attitudes are shifting in this direction too. In this same survey, 73 per cent of employers also said they feel they have a responsibility to provide such support. In many instances, career development professionals help build these programs with employers, and support them with strategies to reach talent that conventional hiring tends to miss.
Career development belongs in the workplace
Career development is a necessity, not a luxury. Global markets know this already. Canada is catching up.
In the same way that people book an annual health check-up, CERIC recommends considering an annual career check-up too. September is a good time to book this. Simply find a career development professional near you through this CERIC directory, and dedicate some time to your career.
In the interim, want to know if you’re carrying career myths that may be holding you back? Test your assumptions with CERIC’s quiz, at careermythbuster.ca.
CERIC is a national charity working toward a Canada where everyone can build a career with purpose, possibility and support. It runs Cannexus, Canada’s largest bilingual career development conference, each January, with Early Bird registration open until November 6.
