CompTIA report: Tech jobs hiring in Canada accelerates

Posted on November 12th, 2021

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Companies across Canada have accelerated their hiring and recruitment technology workforce, as per a new report by CompTIA, a not-for-profit organization for the information technology (IT) industry and personnel.

Job posts for tech professions leapt 42,100 year-over-year in the first 3 quarters of 2021, a 65% rise, revealed "Canadian Tech Industry and Workforce Trends 2021", the report of CompTIA. It is a sign that several employers are restarting hiring activities in concurrence with the improving Canadian economy.

Gordon Pelosse, CompTIA senior vice president for employer engagement said, "In Canada we are seeing a rebound in tech hiring, forcing employers to become more aggressive looking for candidates and giving qualified job seekers multiple opportunities to consider."

Pelosse further said, "Some companies are offering increased wages, added benefits and flex hours as they try to differentiate themselves from the pack. We're also seeing more employers expand their pools of potential candidates by shifting from job postings with a minimum four-year degree requirement to a more balanced approach of validated skills and knowledge."

The CompTIA study predicts that tech hiring in Canada will rise by 15,000 positions this year, with most of the recruitment happening in 3 provinces – Ontario (+7,545 new hires), British Columbia (+3,144) and Quebec (+3,008).

Over the last 5 years, 55% of net technology employment job gains were in Ontario, followed by British Columbia (22%) and Quebec (19%). The Toronto metro region alone had about half of all net technology job gains during this period.

Rita Loncar, vice-chair of the CompTIA Canadian Business Technology Community said, "Offering industry validated certificates opens opportunities for a broader workforce in hopes of addressing the needs of our market."

Loncar added, "If the last couple of years has shown us anything, it's that we are no longer limited to local applicants for hiring. A remote workforce is happening everywhere and opportunities for people in rural areas are more possible than ever."

The IT services and software categories on a sector basis are estimated to account for 82% of job gains in 2021, indicating the current trends of digital transformation and IT modernization.

Coming to occupation basis, the cybersecurity category and systems analysts will provide an expected 34% of job gains for the year, followed by software and web developers (30%) and IT and network support personnel (14%).

At the end of the year, Canada's tech employment is estimated to total 1,146,270 employees, roughly 6% of the Canadian workforce. The projected median tech pay of $81,751 is 47% greater than the average national pay for all Canadian employees. Wages for experienced technology workers and special abilities are particularly higher at the 75th and 90th percentiles.

The technology industry contributes to nearly 5.1% of the total Canadian economy, which amounts to CAD 96 billion. There are about 50,401 technology business organizations across the nation. The highest establishments are in Ontario (26,683), Quebec (10,011), British Columbia (5,834) and Alberta (5,031).

Tags: Canada jobs, tech jobs in Canada, technology jobs in Canada

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