High-skilled tech talent shortage remains a massive problem for Canadian companies of all sizes and industries. Digital technology specialists are in “deficit”. This prevents growth and progress. Given that the technology skills gap will remain a concern for the next ten (10) years, businesses that find solutions faster will outgrow it. 

I work closely with many techs and non-tech companies that are constantly in demand of technology workers and looking to fill more. I developed several solutions for business in Canada. To share, there are three (3) main ways to fill labour shortages in tech jobs I describe in my blog below. To give an idea of the current and future employment prospects in the digital economy, some statistics to start…

All need technology experts - private and public sectors in Canada.

By the end of 2025, employment in the digital economy will reach 2.26 million or roughly 11% of all employment in Canada (The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), Digital talent Outlook 2025). This means that the Canadian digital economy will see a demand for 250,000 additional jobs. Canada’s employers would need to fill an additional 250,000 technology jobs by 2025. Learn more. 

Even the Canadian government needs thousands of technology workers they could not fill. Speaking in numbers, about 30 percent or 7,000 of 21,000 government IT jobs are unfilled. The Canadian government’s chief information officer (CIO) reported that the shortage includes skills across the “whole ecosystem” of technology experts (Policy Options, Ottawa needs thousands of tech workers to serve Canadians properly, Kathryn May). Learn more.

1. Hunt the best tech talent and pay more.
2. Be on the edge of the newest trend - participate in work-integrated learning programs in digital technologies. 
3. Bring foreign tech workers to Canada via the Global Talent Stream of the Labour Market Impact Assessment.

Either of the solutions I elaborate on below could work on its own in the short term. It largely depends on employment budgets and other business circumstances. Some businesses prefer one solution over another. In practice, a combination of the below could solve the tech talent shortage long-term on an ongoing basis and become a company’s recruitment model for filling in tech positions of all levels.

I use the term “to race” on purpose. Some highly skilled technology workers are in Canada working for your competitors. Businesses can trace and race after those using simple searches on professional platforms like LinkedIn or professional referrals. 

It may sound like an aggressive tactic. However, not a surprise but rather a reality - those who can offer better employment terms - salary, benefits, work hours, etc. - will recruit and retain the best tech talents fast! 

This tactic would work for large corporations with “substantial” budgets. Even small companies specializing in very niche sectors can benefit because their cheques are high enough to cover the high salary rates of highly-specialized technology workers. 

So, if your business needs to fill one or two highly specialized tech positions - be generous if you can afford it. Eventually, it will be remunerative.

If, however, the budget is more limited, the tech vacancy is not urgent, or you don’t want to be amongst “tech talent hunters" here are more options for you.

The newest trend is so-called work-integrated learning programs. The Lassonde School of Engineering of York University in Fall 2023 will launch the first of its kind. Employers can partner with York University to upskill their existing workforce and access new talent pipelines, increasing equity, diversity and inclusion. Learn more.

While work-integrated learning in digital technologies is a new trend in Canada, I anticipate that more institutions will implement similar initiatives over the next ten (10) years. 

A more conservative way remains to be an investment in training tech students or recent graduates through co-op and internship programs. 

To mention some Canadian universities that you can cooperate with to intern tech students - University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Concordia University, Western University, Carleton University, University of Calgary, University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, University of Victoria, etc.

It is a good “skills development through training” and “transition to employment” tactic if your business has other tech workers who can supervise and train junior staff. You will save on high wages, at least for some time, and grow tech talent within your organization.

Last but not least is to cooperate with specialized organizations helping to address the tech talent shortage. For example, Mitacs is an organization that manages projects between the academic community and industry. At Mitacs, they help determine the scope of a tech project, develop the roadmap to achieve business goals, identify the right expertise to address business challenges, and help to recruit highly skilled talent. Learn more.

From the public sector, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). They connect partners in industry, government and the not-for-profit sector with a Canadian university and college researchers who can bring young talent - highly trained students - to R&D collaborative projects, etc. Learn more.

Employers can bring tech workers from abroad to address an immediate and urgent need for talent. 

The Canadian government is well-aware of the situation with the tech talent shortage. In 2017, they launched a Global Talent Stream program allowing Canadian employers to hire highly-skilled technology professionals from abroad quite fast.

It is a two (2)-stage process that may take one (1) or two (2) months on average, depending on the nationality/country of residence of a foreign worker. 

First, employers must apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the Global Talent Stream (GTS) Category A or B. 

Second, Upon LMIA approval by ESDC/Service Canada, a temporary foreign worker will need to apply for a work permit and come to work in Canada. 

Hiring through GTS LMIA will allow employers to have a loyal and dedicated technical workforce. For three (3) years (duration of work authorization), a temporary foreign worker (TFW) will be stuck to an employer notified on their work permit document. TFW will not be allowed to change employers within that period. If an employer wants to retain that foreign employee, they can sponsor their permanent residence visa or renew their work permit through a subsequent (new) GTS LMIA application.

A business in Canada must be operational and financially able to pay salaries to bring foreign tech workers to Canada. There are other nuances of eligibility and how to apply for LMIA under GTS. Learn more.

I work with various innovative and technology companies, including start-ups and established ones. There are several similar scenarios when they decide to bring (or retain) foreign tech labour to/in Canada:

• Employer works with freelance techs (located overseas) they wish to transition to full-time employees to work in Canada.
• Employer has a team of techs in their foreign affiliates and wishes to relocate some highly-skilled team members to a Canadian office.
• Employer works with recent tech graduates - foreign nationals already in Canada - and wishes to retain them.

Read our GTS LMIA case studies, where I describe businesses (small, medium, large) profiles, challenges and solutions I developed to help them address a shortage of tech workers.

P.S. Write your comments and questions below. I promise to answer relevant questions. I will select the most interesting topics for my blog’s next article and provide more immigration insights.