S6 Ep. 03: The Care Economy

In this episode of the Future Skills Podcast, we turn to the care economy—one of Canada's most essential yet complex labour market sectors. Host Jeremy Strachan is joined by Anita Khanna, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy at United Way Centraide, who explains why care work—from long-term care to community services—operates differently from other sectors, facing persistent challenges with worker retention, job quality, and wage disparities. We then hear from Tyler Downey, President of SEIU Healthcare, who outlines how unions are helping to build pathways into the care economy—particularly through targeted training and supports that enable internationally educated nurses to enter and thrive in Canada's healthcare workforce. We close with Sean Chilton, CEO of Health Workforce Canada, who highlights the critical role of high-quality, integrated data in understanding workforce gaps, improving planning, and driving better health workforce outcomes across the country. Together, this conversation explores what it will take to stabilize, strengthen, and grow the care workforce at a time of rising demand and system-wide pressure.GuestsAnita Khanna, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy, United Way CentraideSean Chilton, President and CEO, Health Workforce CanadaTyler Downey, President, SEIU HealthcareHostJeremy Strachan, Manager, Education & Skills, Signal49 ResearchLinksFuture Skills Centre Homepage: https://fsc-ccf.ca/Future Skills Centre LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fsc-ccfFuture Skills Centre Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fsc-ccf.bsky.socialSignal49 Research Homepage: https://www.signal49.ca/Signal49 Research Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Signal49ResearchSignal49 Research X: https://x.com/S49ResearchUnited Way Centraide Canada: https://www.unitedway.ca/ Announcement of United Way Centraide Canada's National Labour Force Strategy: English | FrenchSIEU Healthcare Union: https://seiuhealthcare.ca/ Health Workforce Canada: https://healthworkforce.ca/ Health Workforce Canada's Pan-Canadian Health Workforce Data Strategy: English | French Pathways for International Educated Health Care Professionals (Insights Report): English | French