India formed the largest cohort of global tech industry workers who flocked to Canada between April 2022 and March 2023, according to a recent report from The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and Canada’s Tech Network (CTN).
Out of more than 32,000 tech workers, 15,097 came from India, followed by 1,808 from Nigeria, and Brazil partly due to Canada’s immigration-friendly national policy and labour cost advantage, the report said.
The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and Canada’s Tech Network (CTN) today released “Tech Workforce Trends: The Migration of Tech Workers and Tech Jobs Since The Pandemic,” a new report exploring globalization and migration of tech occupations in Canada. The findings highlight that between April 2022 and March 2023, 32,115 new workers came to Canada with the most migrating from India and Nigeria. This move is due largely in part to a more immigration-friendly national policy and a labor cost advantage. The report also highlighted the most attractive Canadian cities to top tech talent, with Mississauga, Ont., ranking first followed by Montreal, Que. and Waterloo, Ont.
Ontario boasts the largest number of tech workers within the country, but smaller provinces, like Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, are experiencing the most rapid growth. Both reported the largest year-over-year growth in their respective tech workforces, at 16.3%. Windsor, Ontario has seen the highest growth in tech workers over the past year (28%), followed by Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Timmins, Ontario. This shift is reflective of broader workforce trends, with largely remote tech workers moving away from major metropolitan areas toward more rural locations.
“Our goal at TECNA is to serve as the collective voice of the regional tech hubs and tech associations we represent to help build the North American technology economy. This report is an important step in supporting this growth and helping our Canadian members better understand the state of the current workforce ecosystem,” said Yvonne Pilon, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, TECNA, and President & CEO of Windsor-based WEtech Alliance. “Given the radical shortfall in tech workers to fill available jobs in recent years, it’s imperative we understand migration movements to better serve our members, the innovation workforce, and the broader technology ecosystem.”
Canada’s Largest In-Migration by City
Mississauga, Ontario (1,900 tech workers)
Montreal, Quebec (959 tech workers)
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
(633 tech workers)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
(557 tech workers)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
(525 tech workers)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
(456 tech workers)
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
(437 tech workers)
London, Ontario, Canada
(418 tech workers)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
(363 tech workers)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
(331 tech workrs)
