This month, strategy has partnered with Leo Canada as part of a three-part series that will dissect the agency’s annual HumanKind research. Leo’s chief strategy officer Tahir Ahmad and senior strategist Dr. Sarah Carpentier will explore how younger Canadians, especially, are experiencing the world as we currently know it. Today’s column uses findings from the 2025 study to outline how new generations are redefining the meaning of success.
Today, many young Canadians feel like they’re chasing a shrinking piece of the pie when it comes to careers and financial goals. The old promises of hard work leading to promotions and raises seem outdated in the modern reality. This shift means they don’t trust the possibility of long-term payoff or hitting traditional milestones. Instead, they are redefining success based on what is more near-term achievable, and seeking paths that align with their current well-being.
This is the second key finding from our The HumanKind Study 2025, a national survey exploring what keeps Canadians up at night and how brands can meaningfully engage with them.
The rat race is over
While older generations embraced the ‘rise-and-grind’ lifestyle, young Canadians aged 16-45 feel as if they are sidestepping the traditional success race. Because what used to work doesn’t anymore, they’re redistributing their efforts to try and find something that better pays off for them, focusing on personal fulfillment and well-being, leaning into hobbies or side gigs, arguing that the weight of winning has become more of a burden than an honour.
It’s true the pressure for constant self-improvement has long shaped our ideas of success, often at the expense of mental health. Today, 83% of Canadians aged 16-45 are unsure or believe their hard work will be exploited rather than rewarded. A third of them, or someone from their household, have been recently affected by layoffs. The feeling is that the reward for hard work is more hard work, without the expected payoff.
Feeling underappreciated, many young Canadians are rejecting the rat race. Yes, there was a time when hard work led to promotions or a raise, but now it often just leads to extreme anxiety or burnout. They’re reshaping success, finding something else that is working for them, and focusing on more meaningful goals.
This doesn’t mean they lack ambition; they’re just redefining what the word means because they feel tired of losing. Instead of endless grinding, they’re choosing to act their wage – literally and metaphorically – switching off work notifications, taking midday walks and fostering personal relationships while nurturing hobbies, passions and side hustles.
For newcomers to Canada, another group of focus of our study, the stakes are higher, with 68% feeling they need to work twice as hard to avoid being replaced. Yet, even among them, stories of shifting priorities are emerging as they begin to reject outdated success benchmarks.
A call to brands: Broaden opportunities
So, what can brands do? Unfortunately, acknowledging this shift is not just about remaining relevant – it’s about thriving in this new world where the rat race is being dismantled in favour of a more balanced and authentic pursuit of happiness. To build genuine connections, brands must acknowledge these changes, empowering new paths and working within the boundaries young Canadians are setting. Traditional milestones like buying a house, hitting financial goals or climbing the corporate ladder are fading and, for many younger Canadians, navigating this new landscape without a familiar blueprint can be stressful. They need support not only for their evolving perspectives and initiatives but also guidance from brand partners in forging new paths.
It’s time to celebrate the unique paths, interests and communities of your audience and create new relationships. Younger Canadians will either see you as a partner in their modern world they see in front of them, or an irrelevant relic of a past that isn’t working for them.
When it comes to newcomers, brands should foster community over competition. Help build bridges for them, ensure they are welcomed, not merely accommodated. Statistics show that 10% of Canada’s population has arrived in the past five years and are the primary drivers of the country’s growth. To overlook this demographic is not only outdated – it’s a missed opportunity.
Our message to brands is simple: broaden opportunities. Create systems where young Canadians, newcomers, everybody can thrive without burning out. The concept of success is transforming, and brands need to act accordingly. By listening and adapting to these changes, brands can be at the forefront of a new success story, one that embraces the values and aspirations of young Canadians today.
By Tahir Ahmad and Dr. Sarah Carpentier
