𝗔𝗜 𝗜𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

JUN 25 2026

If you've spent any time on LinkedIn lately, you've probably seen the headlines:

• "AI is replacing jobs."
• "Your career won't exist in five years."
• "Robots are coming for your profession."

I'll admit, it's easy to get caught up in those conversations and wonder about the future of work. But from where I sit as a vocational rehabilitation professional, I think there's another question worth asking:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀?

According to Statistics Canada, 𝟭𝟮.𝟮% 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱—double the proportion from the previous year. Another 𝟭𝟰.𝟱% 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟭𝟮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀.

At the same time, the federal government has announced an AI strategy that aims to create 250,000 jobs by 2031, highlighting that 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁. (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2026004/article/00002-eng.htm)

That tells me one thing:

Change is happening and if there's one constant in life, it's that change isn't going away. Vocational rehabilitation has always been about helping people navigate change. Historically, that change may have been the result of an injury, chronic illness, layoff, disability, or the need to transition into a new career later in life. Today, AI has become another factor influencing the world of work.

What interests me most isn't whether AI can identify occupations or summarize a medical file—because it can. What interests me is everything 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗼:

• Sit with someone who has just lost a career they loved.

• Understand how identity, confidence, grief, or purpose influence vocational decision-making.

• Recognize the subtle hesitation when someone says, "I don't think I have anything to offer anymore."

• Replace the professional judgment that comes from understanding a person's story—not just their resume.

In my own practice, AI has become a valuable tool and it helps organize information, explore labour market trends, challenge my thinking, and improve efficiency. But it hasn't replaced the conversations that matter most. If anything, AI has reinforced something I've believed for years:

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - i𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

As technology continues to evolve, I believe our profession has an opportunity—not to compete with AI, but to use it responsibly while continuing to do what we do best:

• Help people understand their strengths.
• Help people adapt to change.
• Help people find direction when work, life, or health has taken an unexpected turn.

Technology will continue to evolve and people will continue to need guidance, support, and human connection.

𝗜 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.