Tech growth continues to impact Canada’s workforce

Nearly 300,000 technology jobs have been created in Canada over the past six years, with more employment growth projected in 2023, according to a report from CompTIA, a non-profit association for the IT industry. Net tech employment reached an estimated 1,352,210 workers in 2022 and is projected to grow by 1.3% this year, to nearly 1.4 million workers, according to the group’s report. All provinces are projected to see an increase in tech employment this year, with nearly 60% of growth in the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver metro areas.

“Employers that have resumed hiring activity are balancing immediate staffing needs in cybersecurity, cloud computing and tech support with longer-term plans in areas such as advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence,” said Gordon Pelosse, senior vice president, employer engagement, CompTIA.

Employer job postings

Software engineers and designers, IT support and network technicians, database analysts and administrators, and computer and information system managers are the occupations in highest demand, CompTIA’s examination of employer job postings shows. Nearly one-fourth of job postings were for positions in emerging technologies. Slightly more than half of tech job postings in 2022 specified a required level of work experience, with the remaining 40% unspecified.

“Many employers continue to extend recruiting to include talent from alternative pathways, such as those with industry-recognized certifications, rather than traditional university degrees,” Pelosse noted.

The Toronto metropolitan area has the highest concentration of technology workers as a percentage of its overall workforce (10.3%), well above the national benchmark (6.6%). Vancouver (8.6%), Montreal (8.5%) and Calgary (6.9%) also are above the national rate.