Canadian tech news — Canada added 66,600 tech jobs in 2024, growing its tech workforce 5.9% while the United States managed just 1.1%, and Toronto just knocked New York off the podium in CBRE’s annual ranking. The tech talent war is shifting north — and it’s being powered by AI.
By Maplestime Business Desk | Toronto, Ontario | September 19, 2026
Sources: CBRE 2025 Scoring Tech Talent report | Last updated: September 19, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Canada added 66,600 tech jobs in 2024 — 5.9% growth vs 1.1% in the US, per CBRE’s 2025 Scoring Tech Talent report
- Canada’s tech industry accounted for three-quarters of the country’s total job growth
- Toronto moved up for the second consecutive year, overtaking the New York metro area for third place — behind only Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area
- Waterloo Region jumped 11 spots to seventh, its first top-10 appearance, powered by AI-driven demand for systems managers
- Calgary was the fastest-growing Canadian tech market between 2021 and 2024, up 61%
- On the “Next 25” list, Halifax ranked second, London, Ont. fourth, and Winnipeg ninth
The Numbers Behind Canada’s Tech Talent Surge
Canada’s strong AI talent pool helped it record stronger tech talent growth than the United States in 2024, according to the 2025 Scoring Tech Talent report from American commercial real estate firm CBRE.
The headline numbers are striking: 66,600 new tech jobs, a 5.9-percent increase, compared to just 1.1-percent growth south of the border. And the tech sector didn’t just outgrow the rest of the Canadian economy — it carried it. Canada’s tech industry accounted for three-quarters of the country’s job growth, expanding about twice as fast as the total workforce overall.
CBRE’s annual report ranks North American markets for “highly skilled” tech talent using 13 weighted metrics, including tech talent concentration, talent pipeline, and research and development investment. Canadian cities like Toronto, Waterloo, Edmonton, and Calgary all became stronger tech markets on this year’s list.
Toronto Takes Third From New York
Toronto’s strong AI talent pool helped it move up a spot for the second consecutive year, overtaking third place from the New York metro area. It remains the highest-ranked Canadian city on the list — surpassed only by Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.
That’s not a fluke of methodology. Toronto has been stacking AI labs, university talent, and startup capital for a decade, and the ranking is finally catching up to the reality that the city is one of the top three tech ecosystems on the continent.
Waterloo’s AI-Powered Leap Into the Top 10
Vancouver moved up one spot to round out the top 10, but the Waterloo Region made the most notable jump on the list — up 11 spots to seventh, its first time in the top 10.
The report attributed Waterloo’s rapid rise to the growth of computer and information systems managers, the fastest-growing tech job among all tech roles across North America — driven directly by the ascent of AI. Waterloo has long been Canada’s engineering pipeline thanks to the University of Waterloo; now the AI boom is turning that pipeline into a top-10 market.
Calgary and Edmonton Ride the Same Wave
Alberta’s largest cities were alongside Waterloo for the ride. Edmonton moved up 11 spots to place 38th, and Calgary just beat out Waterloo as the fastest-growing Canadian market between 2021 and 2024, growing by 61 percent.
The Up-and-Comers: Halifax, London, Winnipeg
Beyond the big markets, CBRE’s “North America’s Next 25” ranking assesses the smaller, up-and-coming tech talent markets — and Canada dominates it too. Halifax clocked in at number two, London, Ont. ranked fourth, and Winnipeg placed ninth.
London and Halifax posted the largest three-year tech talent growth in the entire ranking — 54.5 percent and 43.5 percent respectively.
Related: Queer Tech Founders Explore Move To Canada As US Abandons DEI — “People Laugh In My Face”
Related: Microsoft’s Mico Is A ‘Clippy’ For The AI Era — What Canadians Should Know
What This Means for Canada
The numbers cut both ways. On one hand, Canada is clearly winning the talent-growth race against a much larger neighbour. The AI-driven demand for engineers, data scientists, and systems managers is landing in Canadian cities, and the talent pipeline — universities, immigration, remote work — keeps feeding it.
On the other hand, the same Canadian tech ecosystem keeps losing its brightest graduates to California and Texas, where pay is higher and the venture capital is deeper. Growth is great. Retention is the real battle.
Maplestime will provide updates on Canada’s tech industry as announcements are made.
Have a tip about Canada’s tech scene? Email [email protected]
Have a correction? Email [email protected]
Will Canada keep this tech talent boom going — or keep training engineers for American companies? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who thinks the tech world still ends at the border.
Enjoying Maplestime? Support independent Canadian journalism — no paywall, no corporate owners.
