List of Top 10 Canadian Cities for IT Skills

Employment in tech Sector of Canada has increased by 25% in the last 5 years. The latest report suggests that Canada’s urban cities and their neighbourhoods are ideal places to tap talented people with IT skills. 

A new study by CBRE Group Inc., a U.S. based investment and real estate services firm, showed that Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal is the top 5 Canadian cities with a large pool of tech talent. However, some small, fast-growing marketplaces such as Waterloo are trying to seize this talent by attracting more employers to establish lower-cost shops.

Top 10 Canadian Cities for IT Skills for immigrants to chose

Here is the complete list of top 10 cities from CBRE firm that has been ranked on the basis of 13 parameters such as industry outlook, concentrations, growth, rent cost of apartment and office, completed degrees, and costs. 

1. Toronto, ON
2. Vancouver, BC
3. Ottawa, ON
4. Montreal, QC
5. Calgary, AB
6. Halifax, NS
7. Edmonton, AB
8. Waterloo, ON
9. Winnipeg, MB
10. London, ON

Despite the slackening in the overall economic growth amid global recession, the tech sector of Canada has been a flourishing spot. Nine cities out of these 10 listed above saw growth in tech employment, with eight cities recording growth in double digits.

Beyond well-established markets such as Vancouver and Toronto, growth in the markets like Waterloo and London shows that many companies are now eagerly setting up shops in low-cost markets too. Not only the real estate but also the tech-talent is less expensive in these cities. As tech workers in Canada cost approximately 45% than the non-technical workers, with an average annual pay demand of $83,000, more companies are targeting such cities where tech labour is cheap.

Most Expensive Canadian Tech Cities

Here is CBRE’s of top 10costliest Canadian cities based on costs of a typical tech firm in Canada, based on the salary of 500 workers and 75,000ft2 office leases:

1. Calgary – $39.8m
2. Ottawa – $38.2m
3. Edmonton – $36.4m
4. Toronto – $36.6m
5. Vancouver – $34.8m
6. Waterloo Region – $33.2m
7. Montreal – $32.9m
8. London – $32.2m
9. Halifax – $31.6m
10. Winnipeg – $30.7m

CBRE pointed out that Waterloo, Winnipeg and Halifax have shown the highest growth in tech employment, but are listed on the second half of the list. Another analysis showed that with a decline in the energy market, it is expected that the costs of Calgary will also come down.

Canada remains one of the best bet to Join any IT related Job

However, Canadian tech hubs are cheaper when compared to international costs. For example, Vancouver and Toronto ranked 50th and 49th respectively on the list of the most costly North American markets. The credit goes to a low valued Canadian dollar that encourages international companies to set up their shop here.

About Post Author

Diksha Garg

See author's posts