Agentic AI: What It Means for Canada’s Temporary Workforce

I think most of us are now familiar with using generative AI to find information and strengthen our communication skills. Agentic AI takes that capability a step further. Built on a digital ecosystem of large language models (LLMs), machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP); agentic AI can operate autonomously on behalf of a user or system — gathering information, evaluating options and preparing the user to make informed decisions.

In short, generative AI informs; agentic AI performs.

Evaluating Agentic AI

Organizations that treat agentic AI as an IT experiment risk falling behind those that recognize its full potential for redesigning work itself.

Here are the benefits of adopting an agentic AI solution:

• Boosts productivity
• Addresses labour shortages and skills gaps
• Strengthens global competitiveness
• Modernizes how organizations manage temporary, contract and contingent workers

The Canadian Context: AI Adoption Is Accelerating

As I’ve seen first-hand, AI use is widespread in Canada. In a KMPG poll, 93% of Canadian business leaders said their company uses some form of AI, up from 61% in 2024. Another survey found that 35% of business leaders are actively experimenting with agentic AI and 57% have plans to experiment in the next six months. Only one percent of respondents had no plans at all to pursue AI agents. (Articles in English only.)

High Marks for Innovation

Overall, Canada’s agentic AI usage mirrors that of other advanced economies, but its deliberate, well-governed approach is paying off. By August 2025, Canada posted the highest agentic AI experimentation rate in the Americas (16.3%). (Article in English only.)

This unusually high testing activity reflects:

• A national culture of innovation. For example, Canada created the world’s first national AI strategy in 2017, and it scores in the top 10 worldwide in Human Capital & Research (article in English only).
• Industry willingness to operationalize emerging technologies. KPMG found that nearly 90% of business leaders think agentic AI can make them more competitive (article in English only).

Workforce Transformation Is Already Underway

In Canada, the most popular use cases of agentic AI so far are in customer-facing roles and IT/security. 38% of companies deploying AI agents use them in customer service (e.g., intelligent chatbots handling inquiries or returns), and 30% in cybersecurity (autonomous threat monitoring, fraud detection). (Article in English only.)

The Sense of Urgency is Real

As agentic AI accelerates, organizations face a powerful mix of opportunity and responsibility. How leaders navigate this moment will determine who pulls ahead and who gets left behind. Early adopters are already seeing dramatic gains — often doubling or even quadrupling productivity — proving that the window to act is now.

Impact on Contingent Workforce Models

I’m going to focus first on the impact that an AI agent will have on the contingent workforce. Historically, enterprises have followed an 80/20 workforce split (80% full-time, 20% contingent). Predictions now suggest a new equilibrium by the end of this decade with approximately 40% full-time workers, 40% contingent, and 20% AI agents augmenting human teams (article in English only).

Key Implications

• Flexibility & Scalability. AI agents can flex with business needs much like contingent workers, supporting peak seasons or rapid growth.
• Cost Optimization. Automating repetitive work reduces reliance on temporary labour for transactional tasks, enabling companies to reinvest in strategic capabilities.
• Compliance & Governance Advantages. AI agents can embed rules, controls and audit trails directly into workflows, strengthening compliance across large Managed Service Provider environments.

Preparing for Productivity Gains

As agentic AI boosts productivity, organizations can take on more work and deliver at greater speed. Yet this acceleration also widens skills gaps, particularly in technical, analytical and supervisory skills.

It makes sense to employ contingent talent to bridge these gaps while you upskill or redesign permanent roles. As productivity increases, an expanded workforce will be needed to keep up with the new pace.

Changing Roles for Contingent Workers

The good news for workers: very few roles can be fully automated end-to-end. Agentic AI doesn't eliminate human skills like judgment, creativity and decision-making. It increases the need for humans who can monitor:

• Compliance
• Fairness & bias
• Ethical decision making
• Escalation points
• Workflow exceptions

These needs do not always justify full-time roles, meaning demand for contingent professionals with oversight and governance capabilities will grow.

Additional shifts include:

• Digital Fluency as a Core Skill. Job descriptions increasingly include collaboration with AI tools. Digital literacy is becoming non-negotiable.
• Growth of Hybrid Skill Sets. Contingent workers who combine technical proficiency with adaptability, communication skills and business judgment will be increasingly valued.
• More Project-Based, AI-Enabled Roles. Work may be organized around projects that integrate humans and AI agents, requiring comfort with AI-orchestrated workflows.

3 Moves to Make Now

Overcoming the risks and enjoying the benefits of agentic AI requires intentional planning across strategy, skills, ethics and change management.

At a high level, here are three steps we recommend to get started.

1. Rethink Workforce Strategy.

Agentic AI fundamentally shifts the balance of human and digital labour. Organizations will need to redesign workforce strategies to account for:

• Tasks best handled by AI agents
• Tasks requiring human judgment, creativity and oversight
• Hybrid roles where humans and AI collaborate
• The evolving ratio of full-time, contingent and digital labor

This new architecture demands greater fluidity — moving from rigid job descriptions to more dynamic, task-based models.

2. Establish Governance and Ethical Guardrails.

With AI systems making recommendations — and in some cases decisions — organizations must have frameworks in place to ensure safety, fairness and accountability. This includes:

• Transparent decision-making rules for AI agents
• Bias monitoring and remediation
• Regular audits
• Clear escalation paths and human-in-the-loop checkpoints

Responsible AI practices will become a competitive differentiator as customers, employees and regulators expect stronger governance.

3. Invest in Skills, Training and Change Readiness.

A shift of this magnitude reshapes nearly every function. Both permanent and contingent workers will need support as roles evolve. Organizations should prioritize:

• AI literacy training for all staff
• Role-based upskilling for teams working closely with AI agents
• Change management programs to build confidence and adoption
• Budget and workforce plans that anticipate ongoing technology cycles

This investment is critical: 89% of employers expect significant upskilling needs as agentic AI becomes mainstream.

Increase Your Competitive Advantage with Manpower

We’ve seen organizations unlock dramatic results when they treat agentic AI as a core strategic capability, not a side experiment. These gains don’t just improve workflows — they compound across teams, functions and entire operating models.

But transforming into a Human + AI enterprise is no small task. It demands all of the above plus the resilience to redesign how work happens. We’ve found that most companies encounter real hurdles: talent gaps, cultural resistance, compliance pressure and the complexity of integrating AI into day-to-day operations.

That’s where the right partner changes everything.

Manpower has guided organizations through these shifts many times. We know the patterns, the pitfalls and the moves that accelerate success.

We can help you:

• Identify roles and tasks ideal for agentic AI
• Build AI-augmented job architectures and hybrid workforce models
• Source contingent talent to supervise, test and tune AI systems
• Establish ethical frameworks and compliance protocols
• Upskill your workforce to thrive in AI-enabled environments

Agentic AI will shape the next decade of competitive advantage. With Manpower, you move faster, avoid costly missteps and build a workforce capable of leading the future.

📩 Contact us to start building your Human + AI workforce strategy today.

About the Author

Trevor Hawkins

Trevor’s intersection of progressive sales leadership experience in leading IT and transformation, along with his experience in the staffing industry, makes him a perfect fit to accelerate the ManpowerGroup strategy in Canada.

Trevor began his career as a Business Development Manager and advanced through various leadership positions within Experis, including Managing Director for the Ottawa Federal Government business and Regional Vice President for Experis Canada.

Trevor, who is fully bilingual, earned his university degree from Concordia University in Montreal. He played on the varsity hockey team and went on to play professional hockey overseas. Trevor is very active as a coach for his son’s and daughters’ local minor hockey associations.