A new report shows that Calgary’s tech market is one of the highest in Canada in terms of growth.
Coldwell Bank Richard Ellis’s (CBRE) 2022 Scoring Tech Talent report ranked North America’s top technology-related employment markets and their growth.
On this list, Calgary took the 21st ranking, a 7-spot increase since 2021.
Calgary’s tech workforce is over 52,000 people strong, with a 60.6% growth over 5 years. The average wage for a tech occupation is $105,581, with a 14.8% growth over 5 years.
This expanding job market means more opportunities in regard to technology-based jobs, as well as more interest from potential migrants. As a result of this, Calgary has the highest concentration of head offices per capita in the country and welcomed a record-breaking 48,754 migrants in 2022.
Anette Ceraficki, co-chair of Tech West Collective, believes that this expanding market will only get bigger thanks to the number of graduates coming out of local post-secondary institutions.
“The University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and SAIT, over the last five to seven years, built some world-class programs in both tech and tech adjacent degrees. The talent has grown, and the quality of talent is growing too.”
“We have a passionate, vocal, and hard-working tech ecosystem that’s been developing a strategy for the growth of the Calgary tech sector. Along with this is some decent government investment in tech.”
Tech talent growth expected in Calgary
Tech talent in the city is expected to continue growing, as more workers migrate to Calgary for business, along with new graduates looking for work.
According to Calgary Economic Development, Calgary’s startup ecosystem is valued at $2.7 billion, with over 450 startups, and a projected 1000 more by 2030.
Ceraficki mentions that tech growth isn’t exclusive to Calgary, but spreads to many parts of Canada.
“Calgary is third place in Canada, just behind Ottowa and Vancouver. However, a city like Vancouver is at the level of an average American market. They have almost 3 million people in their city, and can already compete with some American competitors,” she said.
“This type of growth will not be slowing down anytime soon. There’s still a huge demand for talent right now. If you look online, there are thousands of tech jobs available. That demand will grow, and it’ll be higher than ever before.”