Statistics Canada has put a useful number on something many workplaces can already feel. In the third quarter of 2026, 25.2% of Canadian businesses said they planned to use artificial intelligence to produce goods or deliver services over the next 12 months. That is more than double the 10.6% that reported the same intention two years earlier. It is also well above the 14.5% recorded in the third quarter of 2025. For HR teams, the important part is not simply that more businesses expect to use AI. It is that adoption is broadening across industries and the tools themselves are moving closer to everyday work. Professional, scientific and technical services remain out front, with 54.8% of businesses planning AI use. Information and cultural industries follow at 48.0%. Finance and insurance sits at 35.5%. But the more revealing numbers may be in sectors that started much lower. Planned use in construction rose from 3.2% in 2024 to 18.3% in 2026. In mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, it rose from 4.6% to 14.8%. That changes the workforce conversation.
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