Research & Insights

The Brainstorm Report

The annual Brainstorm Report is a comprehensive research study analyzing the experiences, career interests, and work preferences of today’s university and college students. It offers actionable data to enhance student support, and inform campus recruitment strategies.

With over 350,000 college and university students participating in the past 20 years, it stands as the largest longitudinal study of its kind in Canada.

The Brainstorm Student Interests Report for Schools

Designed for leaders in enrolment management, student services, and career development, the custom school reports provide a deeper understanding of:

• Students’ motivations for pursuing post-secondary education and choosing their school or major
• Confidence in their academic decisions and likelihood of graduating
• Key sources of stress, financial supports, and perceptions of institutional priorities
• Skills development and use of AI in academics and career planning
• Career aspirations, job-market readiness, and industry interests
• Engagement with career, co-op, and work-integrated learning services

Each report includes national comparisons to help you benchmark your students’ experiences and guide strategy across the full student journey.

https://brainstorm.ca/brainstorm-school-report/

The Brainstorm Reports for Employers

No other research in Canada provides such in-depth analysis of university and college students’ career interests, experiences, job search processes, challenges, values, expectations, and work preferences. Last year alone, 24,700 students participated in the survey.

The Brainstorm Reports for Employers highlight key attributes and differentiators relevant to hiring organizations, while suggesting critical questions to help employers develop effective campus recruitment strategies and attract top talent.

Customized reports are available based on the unique attributes of students in specific majors or diversity groups, such as:

• Recruiting Business Students
• Recruiting Computer Science Students
• Recruiting Engineering Students
• Recruiting Women in STEM

Contact us to purchase your customized report: info@brainstorm.ca.

Canada's Future Workforce Top Employers

The Brainstorm survey is also the source of Canada's Future Workforce Top Employers - a ranking of the employers students would most like to work for in the following categories: Overall, Arts & Science, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, and Health & Medicine.

Visit the Future Workforce Top Employers to view this year’s rankings.

The 2025 Canadian Campus Recruitment Outlook Report

Based on an annual survey of Canadian employers, the Outlook Report delivers valuable insights into the current state of campus recruiting and provides a forecast of expected hiring trends.

This comprehensive report covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Hiring statistics
• Recruitment methods and behaviors
• Campus activities
• Preferred skills
• Key challenges
• Recruitment goals and programs
• And much more!

With over 35 pages of insight into Canadian campus hiring activities and 30+ charts and graphs highlighting key findings the Canadian Campus Recruitment Outlook Report is an essential resource for employers looking to craft an informed and effective campus recruitment strategy.

Equip yourself with the tools to attract, engage, and retain top talent. Contact us to purchase the latest edition of the Canadian Campus Recruitment Outlook Report: info@brainstorm.ca.