2026 Canada administrative and customer support hiring trends

Schedule a walk-through

Job seekers: Explore opportunities and grow your career.

2.7%* May 2026 unemployment rate (Administration)

4.7%* May 2026 unemployment rate (Customer Support)

Administrative and customer support leaders are navigating rising expectations with limited resources. When team capacity falls short, the impact is immediate. Response times slip and service levels drop. As digital tools, automation and AI become part of daily workflows, many organizations still lack the skilled talent needed to keep pace. The strain is most visible in workflow efficiency, customer experience and technology optimization, where gaps quickly disrupt execution.

Robert Half research shows leaders are responding by adding to permanent teams; increasing use of contract talent; and improving capabilities in customer service, administrative support and process coordination. As roles continue to expand beyond traditional administrative functions, organizations that prioritize digitally fluent talent and adopt flexible staffing strategies will be better positioned to improve efficiency and deliver consistent, high-quality service.

Hiring managers: Get customized insights and workforce strategies from a Robert Half talent solutions professional.  

Impact of skills shortages

Critical, ongoing skills shortages have made it harder for administrative and customer support teams to execute priority projects. This is prompting delays, and some initiatives are being put on hold as leaders address these shortfalls.

of administrative and customer support leaders say skills shortages have led to project delays in the past year. of administrative and customer support leaders say skills shortages have led to project delays in the past year.

report projects have been cancelled. report projects have been cancelled.

Impacted projects

Shortages in digital and team management expertise are slowing progress across key initiatives—from automation to skills development—while also limiting teams' capacity to build those capabilities from within. Many businesses are bringing in contract talent to quickly close these gaps.

Efficiency and workflow automation

Customer experience and satisfaction

Optimizing technology and collaboration tools

Supporting employee well-being

Skills and career growth opportunities

Understand the data. Remove the guesswork. Hire with confidence.

A walk-through delivers deeper insights

Learn what the data means for your team, how local trends are shaping hiring and which strategies will strengthen your workforce. Schedule a walk-through

Build your team

We connect you with skilled professionals who are ready to step in and support your business from day one. Hire talent

Looking for work?

We’ll help you find opportunities where your skills are in demand and your experience can make an impact.  Find a job

The need for soft skills in an AI era

Critical
thinking and
problem solving Adaptability
and continuous
learning Creativity and
innovation Communication Emotional
intelligence Critical
thinking and
problem solving Adaptability
and continuous
learning Creativity and
innovation Communication Emotional
intelligence

Skills in highest demand

An analysis of thousands of job postings over the past year shows which technical proficiencies employers value most in administrative and customer support—making a competitive hiring strategy essential.

Administrative operations

Customer experience

Front office management

Google suite

Microsoft Excel

Project management

Workflows

Hiring plans for 2026

53%

of administrative and customer support leaders say finding skilled professionals is more challenging than a year ago.

41%

plan to increase permanent headcount in the second half of 2026.

30%

plan to increase contract or temporary hiring in the second half of 2026.

Roles shaping hiring strategies

The following positions have experienced above-average sequential growth and consistent demand throughout the past 12 months, according to an analysis of thousands of job postings and Robert Half placements:

Administrative assistant

Customer service specialist

Executive assistant

Front desk coordinator

At Robert Half, we know talent

Our mission: Bringing great companies and skilled talent together to help build successful businesses and rewarding careers. Innovation and high ethical standards have taken us from a small operation to the world’s largest specialized talent solutions and business consulting firm with offices across the globe. Hire talent

Looking for a job? Search open roles now

More to explore

Labour market overview Stay on top of Robert Half and Statistics Canada job posting data to learn about today’s hiring market.

Staffing for small businesses Stay competitive in today’s hiring landscape with trends and strategies specifically tailored for small businesses.

2026 Canada Salary Guide Explore the latest data for roles across 6 professional fields and what you should pay or earn in local and national markets.

In-demand administrative and customer support roles Dive deeper into the administrative and customer support roles most in demand. Also learn what proficiencies and skills are growing in demand.

*Statistics Canada, seasonally adjusted, June 2026.

The surveys cited were developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives, hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000+ employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.

Over 650,000 new positions from more than 4,900 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including thousands of placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 365 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources professions.