Why Manitoba is poised for a defining workforce moment

In 2025, Magnet took our flagship event, Magnet Network Live, on the road. The MNLSpotlight Series convened leaders, innovators, and changemakers in three regions—Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, and Alberta. Each event highlighted local knowledge, partnerships, and innovations shaping the future of work. This piece is part of a series of reflections from Magnet’s leaders on what we learned in each region and what it means for Canada as a whole. 

Spending time in Winnipeg for the MNLSpotlight Manitoba event offered a clear look at how the province is preparing for the future of work. What stood out most was the mix of urgency and possibility. Leaders across sectors recognize that Manitoba, and Canada as a whole, is at a turning point shaped by rapid technological change and a widening productivity gap. At the same time, the discussions made one thing unmistakably clear. Manitoba has the assets, talent, and collaborative culture needed to move from optimism to action.

Manitoba’s moment of opportunity

Addressing this will require a coordinated, industry-led approach that treats human capital as essential economic infrastructure. Our current mix of short-term programs and piecemeal initiatives is not built for the transformation underway. A long-term, national strategy is becoming essential.

Despite these challenges, Manitoba is uniquely positioned to lead. The province has strengths many jurisdictions would envy. Its collaborative spirit runs deep. Its Indigenous and newcomer populations represent significant, underutilized sources of talent. Its clean energy reliability and transportation network provide a strong foundation in an economy shifting toward digital infrastructure and global connectivity.

To maximize these strengths, the province will need to push past systemic inertia and articulate a clearer, more confident narrative about its ambition and potential. 

Across sessions, leaders were united in their desire to move from analysis to implementation. The message was consistent. Progress will come from piloting solutions, learning quickly, and building cross-sector partnerships. The measure of success will not be the quantity of reports produced, but the willingness to act.

Throughout the event, leaders from government, tourism, education, and skills began to illustrate the investments and policies that would enable Manitoba, and all of Canada, to seize the current moment.

Aligning Manitoba’s talent pool and demographics with the needs of its labour market

Ryan Kuffner from Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism highlighted several areas requiring focused attention:

• Productivity remains uneven. Some sectors are making strong gains while others continue to lag. The challenge is spreading success across the entire economy.
  
• Talent retention has improved but remains fragile. Interprovincial outmigration once reached 10,000 people per year and has now stabilized. The next step is creating compelling long-term reasons for people to stay.
  
• Skills alignment issues persist. High-demand sectors such as healthcare, construction, transportation, and tourism continue to be constrained by labour shortages.

Major investments needed to drive economic growth 

Minister Jamie Moses shared Manitoba’s new economic development strategy, aimed at strengthening GDP growth and reinforcing the province’s role as an economic leader. Key initiatives include:

• A 50 million dollar loan fund to accelerate entrepreneurship
  
• Removal of PST on manufacturing equipment to encourage investment
  
• Expansion of the Small Business Venture Capital Tax Credit
  
• Doubling support for export development

The province’s clean energy reliability and tri-modal transportation network offer major advantages as Manitoba positions itself as a hub for digital and physical infrastructure.

Engaging Manitoba’s untapped talent pools

A strong consensus emerged that two demographic groups represent Manitoba’s greatest opportunity for long-term growth.

• The Indigenous population is the fastest-growing demographic in the province. Unlocking this potential requires improved broadband in northern communities and meaningful equity participation in major projects.
• Many skilled immigrants remain underemployed in survival jobs. Leaders stressed the need to focus on credential recognition and bridging programs rather than relying solely on attracting new arrivals.

Several speakers stressed that Canada must shift from a fragmented collection of programs to a unified national workforce strategy.

Mark Beckles of Palette Skills proposed reframing talent as economic infrastructure supported through industry-led training programs, collaboration across sectors and jurisdictions, and continuous learning and shared risk-taking.

Representatives from sector councils echoed this approach, highlighting the effectiveness of industry-driven training while noting that short-term funding cycles limit stability and long-term planning.

Bringing Canada up to speed with less talk and more action

Mark Frison of Assiniboine Community College offered one of the most candid assessments of the day. He reflected on long-standing issues that remain unresolved, including shortages in key sectors and an overemphasis on data collection over action. His message was straightforward. Progress comes from taking incremental steps, learning from them, and avoiding the pursuit of perfection.

Marketa Evans of the Magnet Advisory Board reinforced this point. Canada has one of the most educated populations in the OECD yet ranks near the bottom in productivity growth. This gap reflects a misalignment between skills development and real labour market demand

In the final conversation, Jeff Melanson of Unity Technologies offered a global perspective. He cautioned that Canada’s measured pace is out of sync with the scale of global technological transformation. Competitors are moving faster and with greater ambition.

His recommendations were clear:

• raise expectations and expand the scale of ambition
  
• build on Manitoba’s collaborative culture to drive major change
  
• strengthen the province’s narrative about its identity and future
  
• reduce unnecessary regulation
  
• use technology to improve skills matching and credential recognition
  
• bring younger voices into decision-making
  
• keep technology explanations grounded

The conversations in Winnipeg made it clear that Manitoba has the ingredients needed to lead Canada’s next era of workforce development. The challenge is translating those strengths into coordinated action.

If the province continues to build on its spirit of collaboration, draw from its underrecognized talent pools, and use its clean energy and transportation advantages as a foundation for ambitious digital transformation, it has the potential to become a national model.

The moment calls for clarity, courage, and momentum. Manitoba is well positioned for this next chapter, and the rest of the country stands to benefit from what happens here.

To learn more about the takeaways from MNLSpotlight Manitoba, read the full event report.

Jessica Dubelaar, Director, Insights & Implementation