Canada remains in dire need of IT and tech professionals. According to a 2016 report from the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), Canada will need just shy of 220,000 skilled tech workers by 2020.
Demand outstripping supply
While Canadian IT sector jobs are growing at a much higher rate than the Canadian overall jobs rate ( 3.4 per cent vs 0.8 per cent) there has been no stampede into tech programs at Canadian post-secondary institutions. In plain terms, Canada’s education system isn’t churning out fresh, able tech minds fast enough. Canada needs 43,000 a year; Canada’s colleges and universities are producing less than 30,000.
The Government of Canada has responded by expanding its foreign worker visa program. Doubtless, these and other such measures will help, but it’s nowhere near enough to serve as a complete solution to the problem.
10 most in-demand gigs
Randstad’s list of top 10 job titles, in order of demand, runs as follows:
- Project Manager
- Software Developer
- Web Developer
- Programmer Analyst
- Java Developer
- System Administrator
- Software Engineer
- QA Analyst
- .Net Developer
- Business Analyst
At a glance: Project Manager
The future is bright for tech project managers in Canada. The further along companies go on the road to digital transformation, the more urgent the need for experienced and motivated project managers who can help rework and adapt existing IT systems and policies to better meet the needs and expectations of customers.
This is and will continue to be a competitive space for jobs. Individuals with strong leadership qualities and excellent communication skills are in a great position, and will generate a great deal of interest going forward.
Randstad’s 2018 Technology Salary Guide provides the following salary ranges in three Ontario markets — Toronto, Kitchener-London-Guelph, and Ottawa — for project managers in the technology sector:
| POSITION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ERP Project Manager | |||
| Entry | |||
| Mid | |||
| Senior | |||
| Project Manager (Infrastructure) | |||
| Entry | |||
| Mid | |||
| Senior | |||
| Project Manager Systems | |||
| Entry | |||
| Mid | |||
| Senior |
At a glance: Software Developer
In an increasingly digital world, there will always be a need for software developers who want to work hard and have an innovative streak.
Randstad’s 2018 Technology Salary Guide provides the following salary ranges in three Ontario markets — Toronto, Kitchener-London-Guelph, and Ottawa — for software developers:
| POSITION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developer | |||
| Entry | |||
| Mid | |||
| Senior |
At a glance: Web Developer
As the Internet explodes into a multibillion-endpoint Internet of Things, digital enterprises’ need for dynamic and innovative web developers will only grow.
Randstad’s 2018 Technology Salary Guide provides the following salary ranges in three Ontario markets — Toronto, Kitchener-London-Guelph, and Ottawa — for web developers:
| Web Developer | |||
| Entry | |||
| Mid | |||
| Senior |
Opportunity knocks
There are currently thousands of tech job vacancies in Canada. Competition, while healthy, is not brutal. Certainly, when the government has to expand its foreign visa program in order to fulfill the need for tech workers, you know there’s a strong demand. That puts you in a great position.
However, Osob Ahmed, a recruiter for Randstad Technologies, advises developers to stay sharp.
“You should be open to picking up new technologies, even if you have substantial experience and tenure. As you’re aware, technology moves at an incredibly fast pace. Today’s agile enterprise is devoted to keeping its technology cutting-edge, and it needs developers who can keep up with that.”
“At any given time, we have 50 to 80 permanent and contract Developer opportunities throughout the GTA. We have a number of well-known software product companies that come to us with exclusive searches when they don’t even have an internal HR to do the search for them. We can get you past your resume going into the ‘black hole’ of the internet, and right into the hands of the Hiring Manager.”
We’re Randstad and we can offer you a wealth of information and guidance that will make your hunt for a better or better-paying tech job that much easier. Visit us online and let’s get started.
