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Research and Reports

The Productivity Project produces research, policy briefs, and discussion papers on the relationship between productivity, human capital, learning, skills, work, and Canada’s economic future.

Led by a cross-sector partnership among the Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, Canada’s Productivity Initiative, Mount Royal University, and the LearningCITY Collective, the project brings together research, policy, business, postsecondary, and community expertise to address one central question:

How can human capital drive Canada’s productivity?

New to the Project?

If you are new to The Productivity Project, start with Report 1 in the Productivity & People series. It provides a foundation for understanding the relationship between human capital and productivity.

From there, different reports will be more relevant depending on your role and interests.

  • For policymakers, Series 1, Reports 3 and 4 provide a framework for understanding current system challenges and identifying pathways to unlock greater human capital capacity.

  • For employers, Series 1, Report 5 and Series 3, Report 1 examine the critical role employers play in developing, deploying, and renewing human capital across the economy.

  • For learning and workforce development leaders, Series 1, Report 4, and Series 4, Report 1 provide a broader perspective on how learning systems can support adaptive capability and long-term productivity.

  • For media, start with the Media Commentary and Speaker Topics pages for key themes, interview angles, and expert commentary on productivity, human capital, learning, and work.

Report Library

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Series 1

Productivity & People

Series 1’s six reports reveal how people drive labour-market productivity, charting policy paths to unlock the full potential of both our learning ecosystem and every individual.

  1. Productivity and People: Exploring Human Capital's Role in Productivity

  2. The Coming Storm: The Eight Forces:Reshaping Regional Labour Markets

  3. Unlocking Productivity: The Human Capital Supply Chain

  4. Untapped Potential: Mapping the Open Learning System

  5. Finding People: A Risk Management View of Hiring

  6. Path to Open Learning: A Policy Framework for Enabling Incumbents and Empowering New Entrants

Series 2

Talent Reimagined

Series 2 charts a decade-long policy roadmap to unlock human capital—introducing a transformative open learning architecture with learners at its core, delivered across 10 in-depth reports.

  1. Open Learning Architecture: A Policy Guide to Unlocking Human Capital (Full Report)

  2. Toward a Lifelong Open Learning Architecture

  3. Alberta 2036: Lifelong Open Learning Alberta

  4. Alberta 2036: Project Climbing Wall

  5. Alberta 2036: The Empowered Albertan

  6. Alberta 2036: Project Open Campus

  7. Alberta 2036: Project Paradigm Shift

  8. The Alberta Marketing Program

  9. Stories of Alberta 2036

  10. A Story About Barriers and Possibilities

Series 3

The End of Entry-Level Jobs

Landing your first real job has always been tough, but now the bridge from school to work is collapsing. Series 3 exposes the breakdown and policy paths to rebuild this key transition.

  1. Entry-Level Jobs: The Canary in Canada’s Labour Market Coal Mine

  2. How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Entry-Level Jobs

  3. Co-Creative Pathways for Human Capital Development*

  4. The End of the Water Cooler: The Hidden Cost of Remote and Hybrid Work on Entry-Level Employees*

  5. You’re the Boss: The Rise of Hybrid Careers*

Series 4

The Evergreen Model

Today’s volatile labour market isn’t an anomaly—it’s driven by rapid skill depreciation. To compete, Canada needs a learning architecture that makes adaptive capability the core workforce skill.

  1. The Evergreen Model: Adaptive by Design**

  2. What is Evergreen Knowledge?*

  3. Capability Depreciation: Why Some Capabilities Endure, Decline, or Regain Value.**

  4. The Evergreen Paradox**

  5. Measuring Evergreen Value*

*Under development

**Discussion paper only