Canada's Tech talent shortage

To outsiders, it seems like Canada's tech sector is thriving. The name silicon valley of the north is used to describe Waterloo and the cities big companies like Shopify and Vidyard receive a lot of press coverage. We are experiencing huge growth in the sector and this is leading to a big problem; a shortage of tech talent. As these companies grow they require more and more applicants coming from a STEM to fill their new roles. The problem is that Canada has a serious shortage of tech talent, making it hard for companies to grow and meet their sales projections. It's estimated that by 20/20 there will be a shortage of 220,000 tech workers in Canada.

This problem is caused by two things. The first is that a lot of Canadians tech talent moves down south to join companies in the valley or grown companies at their American head offices. The second problem is that we have a relatively low number of students graduating from STEM programs. To make it worst the need for technical roles is growing faster than enrollment for these disciplines.


What do you think should be done to address future talent gaps in one of our fastest growing sectors?

Personally, I believe that Canada should make the creation of STEM talent a priority using policy. Schools should be encouraged to begin gradually introduce these topics to students at a very young age. By exposing students to more science technology engineer and math they can increase the number of students interested in these topics.

Next governments can support post-secondary institutions by offering additional funds in exchange for increased acceptance into these programs. Creating a bridge using early education and increasing acceptance numbers will create far more tech talent in the long run.

What else do you think can be done?

Comments

  1. Unknown16 April 2018 at 16:22

    Hey there, great post! This topic is one that's been on my mind recently. I agree with your point about introducing themes relating to tech culture and creative work early on, but I also believe that there is more that Ontario, specifically, can be doing to increase their global presence as ta "tech hub." As was noted in a few of our readings, a thriving arts culture is the way to attract and keep creative talent, and many of the cities that have a tech economy are lacking the arts culture that can be found in other locations abroad. There are simply better, more fun places to live for creative workers.

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    1. Shinjni19 April 2018 at 19:39

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  2. Shinjni19 April 2018 at 19:40

    Hey so I think that we can also create an atmosphere in our cities where people want to stay because how incredible it is. Just like Meaghan said, designing creative cities and tech cities for the talent. The reason SF and SV are so popular is because of the culture that they have designed. I think another factor is mobility within the work and personal life that can lead to better results. Also, money is big as well, if companies out here are willing to pay to keep talent, than more talent would want to stay. Also, an interconnection with government and businesses on the current needs would be a good idea when building policy because sometimes policy can be ineffective.

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