  {"id":18068,"date":"2026-07-07T21:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T01:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/?p=18068"},"modified":"2026-07-08T22:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T02:09:54","slug":"ai-skills-vs-university-degree-hiring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ai-skills-vs-university-degree-hiring\/","title":{"rendered":"The hidden credential gap: why AI skills now rank above a degree for entry-level hiring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-template-header has-neutral-100-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--16)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"--bb--crumb-gap:.4em;\" class=\"blog-template-breadcrumb wp-block-employmentherocom2025-breadcrumb-block\"><nav 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5.49176982,13.1613904 C6.61362375,12.9593437 7.63039162,12.3585585 8.36398864,11.4636626 L9.59594229,9.94923914 C10.0136795,9.43578101 9.94709821,8.67146367 9.44693666,8.24224316 C8.94677511,7.81302264 8.20254916,7.8816073 7.78481199,8.39527139\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n            <span class=\"eh-social-sharing-button__copied_text\">\n            URL copied for sharing!        <\/span>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><h1 class=\"blog-template-title wp-block-post-title\">The hidden credential gap: why AI skills now rank above a degree for entry-level hiring<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-meta-row is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-custom-post-date has-sm-font-size\">\n    <span>Last Updated<\/span>&nbsp;<time datetime=\"2026-07-08T22:09:54-04:00\">Jul 8, 2026<\/time>\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sm-font-size\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-700);border-left-width:1px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-image-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized blog-template-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"Here is a descriptive alt text for the image: Alt Text: A side-profile view of a young woman with her hair tied up in a bun, focused on a large desktop computer monitor in a bright office setting. Her hands are placed on the keyboard as she types. The computer screen displays a presentation slide that reads &quot;Identify your topic&quot; in large, bold text, followed by a smaller paragraph underneath. In the background, a large grid window lets in soft, natural light, showing a blurred view of another desk and a small potted plant.\" class=\"wp-image-18070\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:864px;height:561px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2-440x248.webp 440w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/Blog-thumbnails-Shubhi-2.webp 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:66px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sticky-side-panel is-vertical is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-11 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-lg-font-size\" style=\"border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-200);border-bottom-width:0.1rem;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"content-single-table-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<div id=\"content-wrapper\" class=\"wp-block-group content-wrapper has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\">\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">For decades, the entry-level hiring checklist barely moved. If you&#8217;ve ever written a job ad for a junior role, you know the drill by heart. A relevant degree. A bit of experience, ideally an internship or two. Strong communication. A good work ethic. Maybe a nod to &#8220;cultural fit&#8221; at the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">That list held steady through recessions, tech booms and everything in between. It was the safe, predictable shorthand every hiring manager reached for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Not anymore. New data from <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/news\/ai-paradox-report-2026\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/news\/ai-paradox-report-2026\/\">91±¬ΑΟ&#8217;s AI Paradox at Work report<\/a> shows the checklist is quietly being rewritten and one skill is climbing faster than anything HR teams saw coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The shift hiding in your job descriptions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Here&#8217;s the finding that should make every hiring manager pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Across all Canadian businesses, AI skills now rank sixth on the list of what employers want from entry-level hires, chosen by 30% of them. That already puts AI skills above two long-standing staples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">\n<li><strong>Prior experience<\/strong> (internships, volunteering and the like) sits at 32%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Being degree educated<\/strong> trails at just 25%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Read that again. <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ai-work-guide\/\">Employers now want AI skills<\/a> more than they want a candidate to hold a degree. The four-year credential that took time, money and effort to earn is being outranked by a skill people can teach themselves in months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">And at the businesses treating AI as core to how they operate, the shift is dramatic. Among these AI-forward firms, AI skills don&#8217;t just crack the top six. They land at number one, selected by 55% of them. What&#8217;s a &#8220;nice to have&#8221; for the wider market is a top priority for the companies furthest ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This isn&#8217;t a blip. It&#8217;s a trajectory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">You might be tempted to write this off as a one-off spike. The data says otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Businesses aren&#8217;t just thinking about AI skills. They&#8217;re acting on them. <strong>58% of Canadian businesses have already updated their hiring criteria<\/strong> to reflect the growing importance of AI and another <strong>24% plan to do so.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Add those together and you&#8217;re looking at more than eight in 10 businesses either changing how they hire or getting ready to. If your job descriptions still read exactly as they did two years ago, you&#8217;re increasingly in the minority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What &#8220;AI skills&#8221; actually means<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Before you rush to add &#8220;must know AI&#8221; to every posting, let&#8217;s be clear about what employers are really after. This is where signal beats credential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Nobody expects a junior candidate to arrive with a data science degree. When businesses say they want AI skills, they&#8217;re looking for something more practical: the <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/best-ai-tools-for-business\/\">ability to pick up AI tools<\/a>, use them sensibly and apply them to real work. It&#8217;s curiosity and adaptability more than certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">The market is still settling on how much weight to give it. Right now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">\n<li><strong>1 in 5 Canadian business leaders (20%) say AI skills are now essential<\/strong> for entry-level hires<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A further <strong>39% say they&#8217;re a bonus, but not required<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">So for most employers, AI fluency isn&#8217;t yet a hard gate. It&#8217;s a strong tiebreaker, a signal that a candidate is ready for how work actually gets done in 2026. But that essential group is growing and today&#8217;s &#8220;bonus&#8221; has a habit of becoming tomorrow&#8217;s baseline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The gap nobody&#8217;s closing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Here&#8217;s the uncomfortable part. Employers want AI skills, but the workforce isn&#8217;t confident it has them, and few employers are stepping up to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">The numbers lay it bare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">\n<li><strong>60% of Canadian workers rate their AI competence as low to average<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>51% say their employer does little or nothing to develop their AI skills<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>58% have learned AI skills through social media<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Sit with that last one. More than half your potential candidates are picking up one of the most in-demand workplace skills from scattered videos and posts, because their workplaces aren&#8217;t teaching it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">For hiring managers, this cuts two ways. Yes, screening for AI skills is smart. But if you screen hard for a skill most people are self-teaching, you&#8217;ll shrink your talent pool fast. The businesses winning here hire for potential and build the skills in house. They treat AI fluency as something to develop, not just demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Five ways to update your entry-level job descriptions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">Ready to bring your hiring criteria into 2026? Here&#8217;s where to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">\n<li><strong>Swap &#8220;degree required&#8221; for &#8220;degree or equivalent experience&#8221;:<\/strong> Unless a credential is genuinely non-negotiable, don&#8217;t let it filter out capable candidates who learned differently. You&#8217;re already outranking degrees in practice, so let your ads reflect it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Name the AI tools you actually use:<\/strong> Instead of a vague &#8220;AI skills preferred,&#8221; list the tools your team relies on. It signals you&#8217;re serious and helps candidates self-select.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Screen for the learning mindset, not the certificate:<\/strong> Ask about a time a candidate taught themselves a new tool. Adaptability is the real skill AI-forward businesses are chasing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Frame AI as growth, not a gatekeeper:<\/strong> State clearly that you&#8217;ll support AI upskilling on the job. Given how few employers do, this makes your role stand out and widens your applicant pool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reweight your must-haves versus nice-to-haves:<\/strong> Move AI fluency up and be honest about which of your old requirements are habit rather than need. Every line in a job ad is a filter, so make each one earn its place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">The traditional hiring checklist served us well, but it&#8217;s no longer the whole picture. AI skills have leapfrogged the degree, businesses are rewriting their criteria in real time and the workers with these skills are largely teaching themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\">For HR leaders, this is a clear signal to act. Update your job descriptions, rethink your must-haves and start screening for the skills that genuinely predict success in an AI-driven workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-paragraph-2-m-font-size\"><strong>See how <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/products\/recruitment-agent\/\"><strong>91±¬ΑΟ&#8217;s hiring tools<\/strong><\/a><strong> help you screen for the skills that matter in 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/request-a-demo\/\">Request a demo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-13 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-link-arrow is-style-link-arrow--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-brand-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/businesses\/\">View all<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query blog-3-col-query-loop is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><ul class=\"columns-3 alignfull wp-block-post-template is-layout-grid wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-1 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-grid\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-19562 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised tag-ctrlwork resource-type-newsletter\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-16 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-8\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1438\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-scaled.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Your Next Customer Might Be a Chatbot\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-1024x575.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-1536x863.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-2048x1151.webp 2048w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/colleagues-discussing-ai-impact-office-canada-440x247.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-15 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-14 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/11\/eye-logo.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/newsletter\/\" rel=\"tag\">Newsletter<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-8\/\" target=\"_self\" >Your Next Customer Might Be a Chatbot<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-2\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">AI is now steering where people shop, with purchases from AI searches up nearly 13x in a year. Here&#8217;s why&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-8\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: Your Next Customer Might Be a Chatbot<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-8\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-19353 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised tag-ctrlwork resource-type-newsletter\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-19 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-7\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1396\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-scaled.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"What Happens When a Job Breaks Its People\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-300x164.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-1024x559.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-768x419.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-1536x838.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-2048x1117.webp 2048w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/vancouver-father-working-at-dining-table-440x240.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-18 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-17 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/11\/eye-logo.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/newsletter\/\" rel=\"tag\">Newsletter<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-7\/\" target=\"_self\" >What Happens When a Job Breaks Its People<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-4\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Emergency room doctors are leaving the specialty in droves. We explore why burnout isn&#8217;t just a wellbeing issue \u2014 it&#8217;s&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-7\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: What Happens When a Job Breaks Its People<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-7\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-19263 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised tag-ctrlwork resource-type-newsletter\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-22 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-6\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"880\" height=\"936\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Careers-Header-JR.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"What Happens When AI Bends the Rules?\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Careers-Header-JR.webp 880w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Careers-Header-JR-282x300.webp 282w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Careers-Header-JR-768x817.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Careers-Header-JR-367x390.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-21 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-20 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/11\/eye-logo.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/resources\/newsletter\/\" rel=\"tag\">Newsletter<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-6\/\" target=\"_self\" >What Happens When AI Bends the Rules?<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-6\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">An AI model reportedly tested its own limits during a safety check. Here&#8217;s what it signals about trust, transparency and&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-6\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: What Happens When AI Bends the Rules?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/blog\/ctrl-work-issue-6\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canadian workers are getting more value from AI, yet 45% fear it&#8217;s making them replaceable. Learn what&#8217;s driving the disconnect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":18190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_visual_mode":"business","_lite_auth_enabled":false,"_lite_auth_trigger_method":"scroll","_lite_auth_scroll_percent":25,"_lite_auth_click_element_query":"","exclude_from_algolia":false,"reading_time":"4 min read","display_reading_time":false,"download_content_type":"","download_file":"","download_url":"","download_cta_label":"","homepage_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"resource-type":[30],"topic":[],"learn_topic":[],"industry":[],"audience":[],"business-size":[],"product-tag":[],"funnel-stage":[],"region":[],"pain-point":[],"persona":[],"content_type":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-18068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","resource-type-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18068"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18191,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18068\/revisions\/18191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"learn_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/learn_topic?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"business-size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-size?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"product-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-tag?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"funnel-stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/funnel-stage?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"pain-point","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pain-point?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=18068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}