Up until recently, Canada was in the midst of a brain drain. Skilled professionals, particularly in tech, were leaving the country to work elsewhere, mainly in the US. It was reported that the country was losing around 7% of its population to the US every year. They left searching for greener pastures, mainly for higher pay and more opportunities.
However, things have been turning around recently. Top tech talent is recognizing that Canada has a lot to offer. Its tech sector is driving growth across the country, and the country is likely on its way to becoming a knowledge-based economy.
Big tech has been setting up shop in Canada. Last year, Microsoft moved into Toronto’s core, just down the street from Apple and Amazon. Google has plans to expand its presence in Canada too.
Along with these tech giants, Canada has also seen a surge in startups in the last few years. Since COVID-19, innovation and entrepreneurialism have been on the rise. Canadians are embracing technology and digital solutions to adapt to the changing landscape. As a result, the country’s startup ecosystems are on the up and up.
So, it’s clear that Canada has a thriving tech scene. However, if you’re an Indian tech professional interested in settling in Canada, knowing where it’s concentrated is essential. Keep reading to learn all about Canadian tech hubs and different start-up ecosystems.
Toronto
There’s a reason why tech giants have opened offices in Toronto’s core. Despite not being the nation's capital, Canada’s largest city is the epicenter of innovation, home to 24,000 tech companies and 289,000 tech professionals.
However, Toronto isn’t just a Canadian tech hub. It’s becoming a global tech hotspot compared to Austin and Miami. In fact, according to CBRE, a real estate company that tracks tech hiring, Toronto has risen to become North America's third-largest tech hub. It’s also added an impressive 88,900 tech jobs between 2016 and 2021.
Surpassing cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., Toronto now ranks behind only New York and Silicon Valley in terms of the number of tech workers it houses. And this number is outpacing any other city in North America.
The appeal of hiring in Toronto used to revolve around lower compensation rates compared to the US. However, the city's tech scene has grown significantly in recent years, making it a top choice for companies seeking highly skilled talent.
Despite recent layoffs in the tech industry, the fact that big tech companies have chosen to concentrate their hiring efforts on Toronto and Canada as a whole speaks volumes
In 2022 alone, Twitter hired over 100 tech professionals in Toronto. Meta announced plans to hire up to 2,500 people in Toronto and other parts of Canada to build a new Canadian engineering hub. A few years earlier, Amazon said it planned to create 600 jobs in Toronto. Google stated it was looking to triple its workforce and hire as many as 5000 tech professionals throughout Toronto.
Major tech companies working out of Toronto
In 2021, Reddit decided to set up an office in Toronto, planning to hire engineering and other business service roles. Around the same time, Groq expanded to Toronto, focusing on artificial intelligence opportunities.
HCL Technologies opened a digital acceleration center in the Toronto region and had big plans to hire 2,000 employees across Canada. Wayfair also joined the tech movement by opening an engineering office, looking for software engineers, UX designers, and data scientists.
In 2022, Ripple, a crypto and blockchain start-up, established its first Canadian office in Toronto. The following year, Pinterest followed suit and opened an engineering hub in the city. The biotech industry found a home in Toronto as Recursion opened its first multidisciplinary hub in the city.
Not to be left behind, Flexport recognized Toronto's potential and chose the city as its Eastern hub, supporting small-and-medium size enterprises in the region through their logistics platform.
Though worldwide inflation has been getting in the way, it’s clear that Toronto is an attractive option for tech giants. And, demand for tech professionals with in-demand skills is on the rise.
Home to a robust startup ecosystem
Along with tech giants, Toronto’s start-up scene is growing. In 2016, Toronto’s startup ecosystem comprised of between 2,500 and 4,100 active tech startups. And it continues to grow, despite the damage done by COVID-19. In 2022, Toronto start-ups received an impressive CA$3.7 billion ($2.7 billion) in investments, more than double the CA$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) raised in 2019.
There are external and internal factors to the success of Toronto's startups. When we evaluate startup ecosystems, investment capital directly affects startup ecosystem functions and helps entrepreneurs control ecosystem processes. But Toronto's organizations typically focus on highly relevant technologies and have access to a robust tech community, supporting their success.
AI research is also booming in Toronto. Major international companies are setting up R&D labs in the area to develop commercial AI applications using the deep knowledge pool available.
The Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence has played a significant role in making Toronto a global hub for AI R&D with over USD $120 million in funding. Samsung also chose Toronto for one of its global AI research labs, focusing on computer vision.
ETSY also established its Machine Learning Center of Excellence in Toronto. LG invested in a five-year research partnership with the University of Toronto to build a new AI campus. These initiatives are making Toronto a leading destination for AI research and talent, shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
This is all to say that Toronto is Canada’s premier tech hotspot. And, it’s an ideal place for Indian tech professionals to immigrate to. Along with a surplus of tech jobs, Toronto has much to offer Indian professionals. Toronto boasts a rich cultural scene home to a growing community of Indian immigrants.
In 2016 alone, the number of Indian immigrants to Canada stood at 39,710, whereas in 2022, it sat at a staggering 118,095. So, the GTA’s Indian population has blown up. And much of it is settled in Brampton, a part of the GTA. The 2016 census revealed that almost 40% of the GTA’s Indian population lived in Brampton. As of 2022, 27.7 percent of Bramptons population is Indian.
So, if you want to settle in a dynamic city with a diverse Indian community, consider calling the GTA your home. Along with tons of job opportunities, you’ll be able to connect with fellow Indians and people worldwide.
Montreal
Consider Montreal if you want to settle in a city with a rich cultural heritage and a vibrant tech scene. Often hailed as the most European city in North America, Montreal has much in common with its tech counterparts across the pond.
A leader in the latest tech
The city’s innovative approach to artificial intelligence and machine learning research has attracted the attention of big tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta, Samsung, and Intel.
Along with a strong AI community, the strength of Montreal’s tech scene has brought in more than 2,230 subsidiaries of foreign companies, including Ericsson, Google, and IBM.
The city has over 200 video game studios, including big names like Ubisoft, WB Games, and Electronic Arts. It’s become a hub for gaming, attracting the attention of the hugely popular game developer miHoYo, among others.
Montreal’s thriving gaming industry can largely be attracted to the province's generous tax credits from 1996. Quebec is one of the few places worldwide that provides such generous tax credits for the multimedia industry, covering up to 37.5% of labor costs.
Besides gaming, Montreal is known for its visual effects and animation, making its mark in major film productions. The city's artistic and technical talent shines globally, from Oscar-winning movies like 1917 to popular franchises like Star Wars and Game of Thrones.
The hub for IT service provider organizations
Montreal's IT services sector is on fire right now, with big players like SAP, IBM, Tata Consulting Services, Infosys, and CGI making their mark. This growth means there are loads of great job opportunities for tech professionals. The city's focus on tech education and research ensures a talented pool of workers, making it a place to thrive in the IT services industry.
Montreal has much to offer if you’re interested in contributing to the aerospace industry. Montreal is at the heart of Canada's aerospace technology, being the birthplace of aviation in the country and the headquarters of Bombardier, a major aerospace manufacturer. It’s also the third-largest aerospace center in the world, following Toulouse and Seattle.
The city hosts aerospace giants like Pratt & Whitney, GE Aviation, Airbus, L3, CAE, and Textron. In 2020, French aeronautics manufacturer Lauak announced its plan to expand its Mirabel factory into an advanced technology R&D center, adding to Montreal's prominence in the aerospace industry.
Montreal's life sciences sector is also flourishing, drawing investments from Roche, Amgen, and Novartis. In Canada, Montreal takes the lead in R&D investments and research centers within the life sciences field. It holds a significant economic position, accounting for 79% of Québec's GDP and 20% of Canada's GDP.
Overall, Montreal has a lot to offer Indian tech professionals. Along with a vibrant tech scene, it’s home to a diverse and multilingual population with an Indian community close to 93,000 people. So, if you’re an Indian tech professional, consider making Montreal your home.
Kitchener-Waterloo
You might be surprised to hear that Kitchener-Waterloo has emerged as one of Canada’s most dynamic tech scenes. They’re the largest cities in the Waterloo Region, which stands as Canada’s third fastest-growing community.
Kitchener-Waterloo has a history that’s been shaped by industry and entrepreneurialism. Cut to the current day, and the city has a vibrant start-up culture.
It's strengthened by its proximity to innovation accelerators, such as The Accelerator Center, Communitech, Google for Startups and Velocity, which stands as the most productive incubator nationwide.
Attracting global tech giants and tech workers
Tech giants have also recognized the potential of Kitchener-Waterloo, choosing it for foreign direct investment. Companies like Google, EPAM Systems, and Meta IT have expanded here, attracted by the high-quality talent, innovation ecosystem, and collaborative community.
The Kitchener-Waterloo office is Google’s biggest R&D office in Canada and one of the company's largest engineering hubs outside the US. EPAM Systems established its Canadian headquarters in Kitchener, drawn by the region's emerging engineering talent and vibrant startup vibe.
Oracle NetSuite is another notable tech company with offices in Kitchener. Oracle NetSuite's Kitchener office is significant in the company's research and development efforts for ERP, human capital management, and supply chain management solutions.
Thanks to the rich talent pool and supportive community, these companies see Kitchener's tech ecosystem as the ideal environment for driving product innovation and success. Kitchener's tech scene offers a lot of opportunities for tech professionals to flex their skills.
Vancouver
Just last year, there were 111,100 tech jobs in Vancouver. That’s a pretty substantial number. It’s a 69% jump from 2017, which makes the city one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in North America.
Vancouver is also the 8th top tech hub on the continent and Canada's second most important tech hub after Toronto.
Canada's software development hub
Vancouver is a hub for software development, especially when it comes to gaming. With over 170 video game development studios and billions in annual revenue - it’s clear why. Big-name companies like Microsoft’s Black Tusk Studios and Electronic Arts Canada (EA Games) call the city home.
Electronic Arts, or EA Games, is a major player in Vancouver, catering to over 300 million users globally with their games and content. In the Vancouver office, they work on popular franchises such as FIFA Soccer, NHL, UFC, and Need for Speed.
Vancouver also has a ton of opportunities in the cloud computing sector. It is the third most important market for data centers, service providers, and network fabrics in Canada, following Toronto and Montreal.
This has attracted the attention of tech giants like Amazon, who recently set up a new office in downtown Vancouver. Salesforce, a cloud-based software company, has also expanded into Vancouver recently.
Settle in One of the Canadian Tech Hubs
So, there you have it. Now that you know where innovation lives in Canada, you can narrow down your choices. Remember to weigh your options and consider your interests. Are you interested in living in a big city with a sizable Indian population and a dynamic tech scene? If so, you may want to set your sights on Toronto.
Or, are you interested in helping to build a tech hub in an up-and-coming region like Kitchener-Waterloo? Perhaps the gaming industry interests you. In that case, consider making a home in Montreal. Regardless of where you settle, Canada is filled with opportunities in tech.
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