Posted Jul 13, 2023 1:57pm ET
The Kitchener skyline appears in a file photo. (CTV Kitchener)
According to a new report, a significant portion of the 32,115 technicians who relocated to Canada last year ended up in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Waterloo was the third largest beneficiary of the influx of technology workers moving to the country, with a net immigration of 633 people. This figure takes into account workers who have moved in and out of the city over the same period.
The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and Canada’s Tech Network (CTN) report tracked technology migration to Canada between April 2022 and March 2023.
Mississauga topped the list as the most attractive travel destination with a net immigration of 1,900 international technical workers. Montreal finished second with 959.
Kitchener ranked seventh with a net migration of 437 workers.
The report’s authors praised Canada’s immigration policies, saying in a media release that the large-scale migration of tech workers “points to a hopeful and prosperous future for Canada’s tech workforce.”
Chris Albinson, President and CEO of Communitech, said a new work permit stream US H-1B visa holders will find it particularly beneficial to work in Canada.
“This groundbreaking program is expected to bring 10,000 highly skilled professionals to our country and strengthen our position as the premier destination for technical talent,” Albinson said in the press release.
Almost half of the technicians who moved to Canada between April 2022 and March 2023 were from India. The second most popular countries were Nigeria, Brazil, Ukraine and the Philippines.
Here is the full list of Canadian cities that saw the largest net migration of tech workers:
- Mississauga, Ontario (1,900 technicians)
- Montreal, Quebec (959 technicians)
- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (633 technicians)
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada (557 technicians)
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (525 technicians)
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (456 technicians)
- Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (437 technicians)
- London, Ontario, Canada (418 technicians)
- Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (363 technicians)
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada (331 technicians)
Correction:
In an earlier version of this story, net migration was incorrectly reported as overall migration. It has been updated.
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