As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to disrupt industries globally, Generation1.ca’s Global Industry Skills Study offers invaluable insights into the skills necessary for success in the post-AI era. The 2024 study highlighted how AI and machine learning are transforming sectors such as marketing and public opinion research, demanding new competencies and emphasizing the evolving role of human insight in an increasingly automated world, with Research design (10%), data management (8%), analytics (7%), and communications (5%) emerged as top areas for improvement, suggesting that academic institutions and education providers should review their programs to address these critical job-competencies, especially where foundational skills can tend to disappear with the rise of and overreliance on new technologies and AI. The year before that the GISS2023 study revealed the growing role of numeracy and quantitative methods and anlytical skills in navigating a global data deluge with creative credentialing and multi-disciplinary expertise.
Generation1.ca has been at the forefront of identifying, analyzing, and interpreting emerging trends, skill sets, and overarching challenges within the global data, analytics and insights sectors. While the industry has always been in flux—grappling with shifts in methodology, technology, and consumer behaviour—the past few years have catalyzed, especially rapid change with AI expected to constitute a multi-trillion dollar opportunity (contributing~ $16 trillion) by 2030 led particularly by its impactful integration across healthcare, manufacturing and retail. Evolving data technologies, combined with the proliferation of big data, have created an environment where rigorous research skills must merge seamlessly with agile adaptation and ethical decision-making.
Each year’s wave of research offers a unique snapshot of a point in time capturing how professionals worldwide respond to dynamic shifts in a changing business, political, and social environment across data and insights fields. From the rise of remote collaboration tools and the growing emphasis on data visualization to the deepening focus on inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, these findings chronicle a field in constant motion. By bringing these annual insights together, we aim to illustrate not only the incremental developments year over year but also the greater narrative of talent in how diverse practitioners are reshaping their work and careers to meet the demands of a data-saturated world, driven by the needs of employers but also led by some very strong entrepreneurial currents, “anti-fragility” and innovation.
AI is not just about automation—it’s about using technology to enhance human potential. The skills gap we’re seeing today, particularly in AI and machine learning, is one that Generation1.ca has been tracking for years. Our Global Skills Study continues to play a crucial role in identifying the competencies that will drive inclusive innovation and economic growth, especially for marginalized and immigrant groups.
Arundati Dandapani, Founder and CEO, Generation1.ca
AI’s Growing Influence and the Skills Gap
AI’s impact on research, particularly in data analysis and social or consumer insight, has been transformative. The use of machine learning algorithms, AI-driven surveys, and natural language processing (NLP) tools has revolutionized the way insights are gathered, analyzed, and communicated. However, as AI becomes more integrated into everyday research practices across the growing realms of data and insight innovation, a skills gap continues to widen. A staggering 89% of research professionals agree that AI and machine learning will shape the future of their industry. Yet, nearly one-third of teams admit to lacking in-house AI expertise, with many organizations relying on outsourced expertise.
Generation1.ca’s skills study has consistently tracked this shift, revealing that the top priority for many employers is upskilling their workforce in AI-related competencies, especially in areas such as data preparation, data handling and data literacy, machine learning, data storytelling and business communications. In line with the findings of our annual global industry skills study, Generation1.ca has been a strong advocate for providing tools and resources that help immigrants and diverse professionals bridge this gap and seize emerging opportunities in increasingly tech-enabled roles.
Blending Technical Skills with Human Insight
While technical skills like data literacy and AI proficiency are essential, soft skills such as ethical judgment, storytelling, and critical thinking remain just as crucial. Arundati Dandapani, Founder of Generation1.ca, highlights that as AI automates routine tasks, the human element becomes even more significant. Her insights emphasize that AI must be viewed as a tool to augment human capabilities with much oversight and digital responsibility across the insight cycle. The skills study reflects this sentiment, noting that AI-powered tools are best utilized by individuals who can blend technical expertise with human insights to create meaningful narratives from data that drive impact and change.
Human insight, as indicated in the study’s waves since 2021 includes the ability to collaborate, interpret complex datasets, question assumptions with strong critical thinking skills, and apply cultural context. These skills are crucial in navigating AI’s limitations, ensuring that outputs align with real-world contexts, and identifying when machine-generated results require human refinement.
Generation1.ca’s Global Skills Study has placed a strong focus on developing these skills, particularly in immigrant professionals, who are often at the intersection of global data trends and local, culturally nuanced insights as first movers and arrivers, and statistically outnumber native-born North Americans in entrepreneurial pursuits navigating new realms of resilience and innovation.
But leadership is honed from practice and the ability to be comfortable with ambiguity in the face of rapid advancements and change as Generation1.ca and its membership has consistently proven with strong leadership. An interesting fact from our soon to be released survey of immigrants is that nearly 25% of those who moved to North America alone reported experiencing bias or discrimination or something they didn’t know, with the top sources being attributed to job interviewers, colleagues, peers and supervisors as the charts below indicate.
Ethical AI: Governance and Responsibility
As AI adoption grows, ethical considerations become paramount. The GISS 2025 study identifies AI ethics as one of the most important areas for skill development as most immigrants confirm the impact of AI on immigration and future immigrants is going to be significant. Ethical concerns such as data privacy, bias mitigation, and ensuring transparency in AI decision-making are all central to maintaining trust in research findings. Generation1.ca’s focus on ethical AI governance helps equip professionals, particularly from underrepresented groups, with the tools needed to navigate these challenges responsibly.
Insights from the IAPP 2024’s Digital Governance Survey and Generation1.ca’s GISS 2025 reports converge on one urgent message: ethical AI governance demands privacy literacy, human judgment, and cross-functional skills. Both emphasize transparency, accountability, and the need to train professionals in data ethics and responsible innovation to lead in an AI-powered world. Hear more at her IAPP session at Canada’s Privacy Symposium “No Newcomer Left Behind. Global AI Futures for a Melting Pot of Governance”.
One of the critical aspects highlighted by both the skills study and Arundati’s leadership is the need for a proactive approach to AI governance. This involves understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations, recognizing when AI may introduce bias, and making sure AI-generated insights are transparent and validated. The study notes that AI governance skills are becoming a competitive advantage for organizations, especially those committed to diversity and ethical standards.
Human Insight in the Age of AI
Despite the surge of AI, human judgment remains irreplaceable in generating meaningful insights. Critical thinking and creativity—skills AI can’t replicate—are more essential than ever. At Generation1.ca, our research shows that the most powerful insights emerge when researchers blend quantitative precision with qualitative depth, asking the right questions and applying human empathy to AI-driven data. Notably, 2025 marks the first time employers we surveyed ranked qualitative analysis above quantitative skills—signaling a powerful shift where methodologies are no longer competing, but complementing one another to unlock richer, more contextualized understanding and where people are actually hankering for that depth of analysis rooted in “why” more than “how”.
Furthermore, storytelling and communication skills are now more vital than ever. As AI generates reams of data, it is the researcher’s role to synthesize and communicate the insights effectively, ensuring that complex findings are transformed into clear, actionable narratives. According to the skills study, these competencies are increasingly in demand, with data visualization and storytelling ranked as the most essential skills for the future of research. Corroborating these data, a Microsoft Work Trend Index survey highlights the top soft skills needed for an AI-powered future, with analytical judgment, flexibility, and emotional intelligence leading the list. marketing researchers and pollsters are operating in a “post-AI” environment where technical and soft skills intersect more than ever. Researchers and pollsters are operating in a “post-AI” environment where technical and soft skills intersect more than ever. Data and AI literacy must go hand-in-hand with critical thinking and ethics. These human-centric skills complement AI abilities and will be essential for researchers working alongside intelligent machines capable of good human oversight as needed.
Building the Future Workforce with Human and AI Collaboration
The Generation1.ca Global Industry Skills Study paints a clear picture of the evolving workforce in a world increasingly shaped by AI. The future of research lies in the successful integration of AI-driven tools with human insight, ensuring that professionals remain at the helm of strategic decision-making. As AI technology continues to advance, Generation1.ca will continue to empower individuals—especially immigrants—by equipping them with the skills needed to thrive in this changing landscape.
Data literacy or the ability to understand, interpret, and communicate data has become a foundational skill for data and insights professionals. In an AI-driven world, researchers are inundated with more data (and more complex data) than ever before (we’ve called this the data deluge in our 2023 study), from large behavioral datasets to real-time social media feeds. Being data literate means not only knowing how to run analyses, but also understanding data quality, biases, and context. Researchers need to be comfortable working with advanced analytics techniques (like predictive modeling, segmentation, A/B testing) and using tools like data visualization software to explore results. Industry leaders report that “advanced data analytics” skills are in high demand (35% cite it as a top skill need according to an Insight250 study — our Founder Arundati is on the global jury of Insight250) alongside data visualization and storytelling.
The GISS2025 or Generation1.ca Global Industry Skills Study reaffirms the importance of upskilling the workforce, advocating for a balanced approach that combines technical proficiency with ethical responsibility and human creativity. It is this combination of AI and human expertise that will drive the next wave of innovation and economic growth, particularly for diverse and emerging talent pools. In the above graph top skills for hire for 400 employer respondents included analytics, research analysis / data interpretation, project management, inferential statistics, data handling and preparation and finally qualitative and quantitative research skills followed by data collection and research technology.
Founder and CEO of Generation1.ca, Arundati extends heartfelt thanks to our generous GISS2025 sponsors and returning Career Fair and Case Competition partners—Fuse Insights and Unlock Surveys—for their vital support in funding data collection and serving as employers and judges at our career fairs and case competitions in 2025. Special thanks to Q-Fi Solutions for their customizable, user-friendly survey platform that streamlined deployment, and to Algonquin College’s School of Business and Hospitality, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and MRA programs, a longstanding supporter and sponsor of our work and career fairs. Grateful also to ESOMAR for its steady support and reach. This impactful work is never achieved alone and without true ambassadors—thank you all for helping build a smarter, insight-driven, and inclusive global workforce with Generation1.ca.
“In an era flooded with data, tools, and transformative technologies—tempered by urgent ethical questions—each wave of change brings us back to a core inquiry: How do we use what we know to make a meaningful impact on and with top global talent? I invite you to explore that question in the insights ahead, as we shape a more informed, AI-literate, and future-ready global workforce—one empowered by human wisdom, digital trust, and shared responsibility.”
Arundati Dandapani, Founder and CEO, Generation1.ca
