Canada is Becoming a Tech Job Destination for the U.S.

The Canadian technology sector has taken flight over the past few years and U.S. job seekers are now looking to their Northern neighbours as a destination for their talent.

Technology workers in the U.S. are more likely than a typical job seeker to look for work in Canada, according to data from an Indeed report. When these U.S. prospects look for gigs north of the border, they tend to seek out the biggest tech hubs in Canada, mainly Ottawa, Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.

The reasoning behind these jumps in searches can vary. Investments from the government into innovative industries, globally known brands opening shop in Canadian cities, and even a lower cost of living can all relate to the rise. One of the biggest reasons though comes from the current government and administration in the U.S., as it seems with the election of President Trump, many see Canada as a close and viable outlet for their talent.

Stats from the report indicate that clicks on technology-related job postings more than doubled compared to clicks on regular jobs during both the night of the U.S. election and this year’s presidential inauguration. Many in the tech field seemingly wanted to leave and find a new gig after the announcement of a new government.

When U.S. job seekers look for job postings outside their country, 12 per cent of clicks on international posts are Canadian jobs. That percentage skyrockets when isolated to technology though, as Canadian postings accounted for nearly 30 per cent of all U.S. job seeker’s clicks on tech postings outside their country in the six months ending May 2017. That figure is up from 23 per cent in the same period year-over-year, showing more suitors are looking to Canada for a technology role.

The study also notes that Toronto accounts for 46 per cent of all U.S. job seeker clicks, vastly ahead of Vancouver at 15 per cent and Montreal at 7 per cent. This makes sense though, as Toronto is the largest city in Canada by far and will have more job openings.

A more important metric cited ignores overall population and relates directly to the disproportionate popularity of a city to U.S. technology job seekers. postings in Ottawa are actually the most popular if you look at the percentage of tech job clicks and divide them by the percentage of all clicks from U.S. job seekers. Toronto comes in second, while Kitchener-Waterloo is third.

When it comes to the exact roles U.S. workers are looking for, the jobs are highly skilled. Positions like Salesforce developer, ETL developer, senior database administrator and senior software engineer are at the top of U.S. job seeker’s most clicked on job postings in Canada.

This data just confirms that Canada is becoming a more desirable destination for highly-skilled workers. As industry in the country progresses and both homegrown and well-known international brands establish a presence, trends like these mentioned in the report will only grow in magnitude.