Statistics Canada published the first results from a recurring set of questions on the use of artificial intelligence among Canadian workers, reporting that 35.9% of workers used generative AI tools on the job during the 12 months ending in March 2026. The data come from supplementary questions added to the Labour Force Survey in March 2026 and cover workers aged 15 to 69.
Awareness of generative AI was widespread: 93.4% of respondents said they were aware of these tools. Familiarity with potential workplace applications was lower, with 51.5% of workers reporting they understand how generative AI could be applied to their current roles. Overall, 41.6% of workers who used any AI or automation technology said generative AI tools were the most commonly reported technology among those they used.
Industry and occupational patterns
Use of generative AI varied markedly by industry. Professional, scientific and technical services recorded the highest adoption rate at 65.6%, followed by the finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing sector at 59.2%, and educational services at 53.0%. At the lower end of the spectrum, accommodation and food services reported 16.3% use, agriculture reported 17.5%, and transportation and warehousing reported 21.1%.
Occupational differences were also pronounced. Management occupations reported the highest usage at 75.1%, while workers in trades, transport and equipment operator roles reported the lowest use at 14.7%.
High-exposure occupations and demographic splits
Among workers in occupations classified as high-exposure and high-complementarity - examples given include doctors, nurses, teachers and engineers - 53.8% reported using generative AI tools at work. Within these roles, workers aged 25 to 54 reported a higher rate of use at 56.9%, compared with 45.3% for those aged 55 and older and 39.1% for youth aged 15 to 24. The data also showed a gender gap: men were more likely than women to report using generative AI tools across occupational groups, with the largest differential at 11.7 percentage points occurring in high-exposure, low-complementarity occupations.
Reasons for non-use and intensity of use among adopters
Among the 64.1% of workers who did not use generative AI tools over the previous 12 months, the most commonly cited reason was that the tools were not applicable to their work, reported by 56.0% of non-users. One in five non-users said they had no interest in using the tools, while 9.8% cited concerns related to security, privacy, environmental or ethical issues.
For those who did use generative AI, usage intensity varied. A majority of users, 63.5%, said they relied on AI tools for some but not most tasks. Daily users made up 31.4% of adopters, while 38.3% used the tools a few times per week.
The results provide a baseline from which Statistics Canada plans to track changes in awareness and use of generative AI among the Canadian workforce over time. The supplementary Labour Force Survey questions that produced these findings were collected in March 2026.