A new list compiled by employment website Indeed focuses on Canada technology jobs that businesses find it hardest to fill.
Important technical roles such as Computer Vision Testers, Penetration Testers and Ruby on Rails Developers spend the most time advertised and take the longest to fill.
It means that startups in some of Canada’s largest technology markets – Toronto, Vancouver Montreal and Ottawa – are struggling to grow because they cannot find candidates with the right skillsets.
Job advertisements in the top 10 hardest to fill positions are consistently live for more than 60 days, showing how employers desperate to get the right people in have to be patient.
Canada’s Hardest To Fill Technology Vacancies
Job title | NOC Code | Percentage of vacancies open for 60 or more days | |
1 | Computer Vision Engineer | 2147 | 56 |
2 | Penetration Tester | 2147, 2171, 2281 | 51 |
3 | Ruby on Rails Developer | 2147, 2171, 2172 | 43 |
4 | Operations Engineer | 2141, 2147 | 41 |
5 | Release Engineer | 2173 | 40 |
6 | C Developer | 2175 | 37 |
7 | Machine Learning Engineer | 2132 | 37 |
8 | System Engineer | 0211 | 35 |
9 | Chief Engineer | 0211 | 34 |
10 | Security Engineer | 2171 | 33 |
Source: Indeed
At the top of the list, more than half of Computer Vision Tester and Penetration Tester vacancies are online for more than 60 days.
Seven out of the 10 most difficult to fill jobs involve an engineering component.
Estimates suggest the Canadian technology industry will be short of more than 200,000 workers by 2021.
Canada is trying to make up this shortfall by making it easy to hire important technology workers from abroad.
Through the Global Talent Stream, candidates in the most in-demand technology occupations can have their visas and work permits processed in two weeks.
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Once such candidates are in Canada as temporary residents, they are able to make the transition to permanent residence in six months via the Express Entry system.
Canada is also doing its best to attract and retain international students, many of whom graduate with cutting edge technology qualifications.
International graduates qualify for Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit to allow them to work for up to three years.
Those with Canadian qualifications also score extra points via the Express Entry system.
All of these immigration policies are designed to combat Canada’s aging and shrinking workforce and it makes the transition to a technology economy.
What Jobs Are Covered By The Global Talent Stream?
For Category B of the Global Talent Stream, employers must hire highly-skilled foreign workers to fill positions in occupations found on the following list:
National Occupations Classification (NOC) code | Occupation | Minimum wage requirement (annual salary) | Minimum wage requirement (hourly rate) |
0211 | Engineering managers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
0212 | Architecture and science managers | Prevailing wage | Prevailing wage |
0213 | Computer and information systems managers | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2147 | Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
Sub-set of 2161* | Mathematicians and statisticians
* Positions for actuaries or related occupations are excluded from this subset. |
prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2171 | Information systems analysts and consultants | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2172 | Database analysts and data administrators | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2173 | Software engineers and designers | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2174 | Computer programmers and interactive media developers | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2175 | Web designers and developers | prevailing wage | prevailing wage |
2283* | Information systems testing technicians | $78,000 or higher prevailing wage | $37.50 or higher prevailing wage |
Sub-set of 5131* | Producer, technical, creative and artistic director and project manager – Visual effects and video game
Position requires a minimum of five years of experience in the visual effects, video game or animation industries in one or a combination of the following roles: producer, technical director, creative director, artistic director or project manager, with experience in at least one or more of the following skills relevant to the visual effects, video game or animation industries: surfacing and look development; character or simulation rigging; matte painting; or technical pipeline development and application for visual effects, video games, or animation production. |
$75,000 or higher prevailing wage | $36.06 or higher prevailing wage |
Sub-set of 5241* | Digital Media and Design
Position requires a minimum of five years of experience in at least one of the following digital media design skills: 3D modeling, virtual reality, augmented reality, digital media animation, levels editing for digital media design, software editing for digital media design, pipeline software development or applications relevant for digital media design. |
$80,000 or higher prevailing wage | $38.46 or higher prevailing wage |