Tech sector praises Ottawa’s immigration policy | The Star

2023/07/14 Leave a comment

Of note. Interesting, despite all the talk about Canada being more attractive than the USA, the USA is not among the top source countries:

More than 32,000 tech workers moved to Canada during the past year and their top three destinations were Mississauga, Montreal and Kitchener-Waterloo.

That’s from a report released Wednesday by Canada’s Tech Network and the Technology Councils of North America about the migration of tech workers and tech jobs between April 2022 and March 2023.

During that period, 1,900 tech workers moved to Mississauga, 959 to Montreal, 633 to Waterloo and 467 to Kitchener. The combined numbers for Kitchener and Waterloo push the region into second place, nationwide.

The rest scattered to every province and territory, working in cities big and small including Windsor, Ottawa, Vancouver, London, Hamilton and Calgary.

The report says 32,115 new tech workers came to Canada during the 12-month period, mostly from India (15,097), Nigeria (1,808), Brazil (1,675) Ukraine (1,207), Philippines (1,129), Iran (1,046), France (935) the United Arab Emirates (744), Hong Kong (715) and Pakistan (588).

“Canada is pulling in tech workers in droves from all over the world,” said Jennifer Young, CEO of the Technology Councils. “The Canadian policy is really impressive, and I think the world should take note.”

Ottawa’s immigration policies should be held up as an example to other countries with shortages of tech workers, said Young during a telephone interview Wednesday from the Technology Councils’ headquarters in Pittsburgh.

“The U.S. is vastly behind Canadian policy,” said Young.

Canada also has a cost advantage over the U.S., says the report. The average compensation for U.S. tech workers in the report is C$175,600. The average compensation for the same tech occupations in Canada is C$100,400, says the report, called “Tech Workforce Trends: The Migration of Tech Workers and Tech Jobs Since the Pandemic.”

The numbers of tech workers in smaller centres such as Timmins, Windsor and Cape Breton increased thanks to the rise of remote work during the pandemic.

“This shift is reflective of broader workforce trends, with largely remote tech workers moving away from major metropolitan areas toward more rural locations,” says the report.

Canada’s Tech Network used to be called the Canadian Digital Media Network. It is based at Communitech in Kitchener. The Technology Councils of North America represents regional tech hubs such as Communitech.

“It is global thinking, your immigration policy, and really addresses the needs of the economy,” said Young. “Keep doing what you are doing, it is working.”

During the past 18 months the U.S. tech sector was hit with massive layoffs, and thousands of foreign workers in the U.S. on H1B visas are looking for new jobs. For months, Communitech and its members have called on Ottawa to welcome them here. Last month, Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a program to speed up work permits for them and their families.

Communitech CEO Chris Albinson welcomes the move, saying: “This groundbreaking program is set to bring 10,000 highly skilled professionals to our country, fortifying our position as a leading destination for tech talent.

Source: Tech sector praises Ottawa’s immigration policy | The Star

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