Why Toronto is the Largest Tech Talent Hub in North America
If you’re seeking for reasons why Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America, this article has all your informational needs.
Toronto is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. The city also serves as the capital city of Ontario. It’s economy contributes a lot to the Canadian economy at large. Toronto is an industrial, commercial, financial and distribution hub.
Hence, top companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Apple now have offices in the city. Google is also planning to have an office building in Toronto. The city of Toronto outranks other North American countries as the largest tech talent hub. Some of these countries include the United States of America, Mexico, Jamaica, Honduras, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, and Dominican Republic.
In fact, New York Times made a publication in late March 2023 about Toronto’s tech talent hub rising very rapidly compared to any hub in USA. In 2021, CBRE reported that Toronto supersedes the 30 top tech markets in US and Canada.
Let’s get started!
About Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario, Canada. It has earned global recognition being part of the most culturally diverse and flourishing cities across the world.
With a population of 2,794,356 in 2021, Toronto remains the most populous city in Canada. About 47% of this population are foreign nationals who are in Canada as its citizens or permanent residents.
Furthermore, Toronto has been in existence since 1793. Its entire city area is 630.20 km2, which is proportional to 243.32 square miles. Area codes used in Toronto includes 437, 647 and 416.
What is a tech talent hub?
Tech talent hub is a place or region where a large number of companies come to set up themselves, as well as become a major economic substructure of the area. As reported by New York Times in March 2023, the biggest tech expansion is in Canada’s largest city, i.e., Toronto.
New York Times also regarded Toronto as a quietly booming tech city among other countries in North America.
Countries in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, and largely in the Western Hemisphere of the earth. The continent is also known as the northern part of America. Up to 23 countries exist in North America. Common languages spoken by residents of these countries are English, French and Spanish.
Below are list of all countries in North America.
- Canada
- United States of America
- Mexico
- Grenada
- Saint Lucia
- Belize
- Dominican Republic
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Dominica
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Panama
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
- Bahamas
- El Salvador
- Barbados
- Nicaragua
- Jamaica
- Cuba
- Honduras
- Haiti
- Trinidad and Tobago
Reasons why Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America
Here are justifications that the city of Toronto, Ontario is the largest tech talent hub out of all countries and cities in North America.
- Many popular brands and companies have set up offices in Toronto
- Trump administration discouraged people to immigrate to US, thereby choosing Canada
- U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will attract researchers worldwide
- Toronto is home to many AI companies, computer scientists and engineers
- Thousands of tech jobs are created annually in Toronto
#1. Many popular brands and companies have set up offices in Toronto
Of course, prominent companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, Amazon and Uber have established offices in Toronto, ON, Canada. Microsoft recently set up a 4-floor office in the city during the month of February 2023.
The renowned and widely used search engine, Google is also planning to have an office building in Toronto in 2023. At present, Google Canada has up to 1,500 workers but has noted that its new offices in Toronto, Kitchener and Montreal would increase its workforce to 5,000.
Moreover, a popular visual discovery engine, Pinterest has just built a 3-floor office building in Toronto. Stripe, a payment service provider in US, just opened an office close to the City Hall in Toronto, Canadian province of Ontario.
Hubspot is also on the verge to open an office in downtown Toronto, and intends to hire up to 50 employees. Among which are software engineers, solutions architects, product managers, among others.
As more companies extend their office operations to Toronto, the city develops at a fast pace, which enables it to outrank other countries and become the largest tech talent hub in North America.
#2. Trump administration discouraged people from immigrating to US, thereby choosing Canada
Donald Trump was the president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. His presidency was described to be unconventional, which discouraged a lot of people from coming to the country. This slowed down USA’s rate of immigration.
At the same instant, Canada launched some programs that enabled skilled workers to immigrate and become part of its economy.
An example of this program is Global Talent Stream (GTS), which facilitates the quick entry of foreign workers with specialized skills to Canada. The program also helped them in getting a work permit.
Therefore, many people that would have immigrated or traveled to US for study/work had to opt for Canada. Majority of them stayed in Toronto, as the country’s largest city. This also has impacts on why Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America.
#3. U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will attract researchers worldwide
#3 of the reasons why Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America is that the University of Toronto’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will make more researchers to come to the city. U of T is a public research university located in the city of Toronto.
The university received a sum of $100 million as a donation from Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman in 2019. They donated the money for the university to build an innovation centre named after them. These include a 250,000 sq. ft. (12-storey tower), as well as a 500,000 sq. ft. (20-storey tower) buildings. Each of the towers will feature its own research areas, laboratories and workspaces.
Undoubtedly, the 750,000 sq. ft. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biomedicine complex would improve lives by promoting innovation, AI, biomedicine, etc. U of T projects persons like foreign visitors, researchers and investors to be the regular users of the innovation centre.
#4. Toronto is home to many AI companies, computer scientists and engineers
The fourth reason why Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America is that a large number of Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies choose Canada out of all other countries in the region for their business. Some of these AI companies include Groq and Cerebras.
As a matter of fact, most of the engineers and computer scientists that came to study in or close to Toronto remained in the city after completing their studies.
#5. Thousands of tech jobs are created annually in Toronto
On a yearly basis, myriads of new tech occupations are introduced in the city of Toronto, Ontario. For instance, Toronto had more than 40,000 new tech jobs between 2019 and 2020.
This also serves as a reason why Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America. As more tech jobs are created, Toronto’s tech talent hub will expand simultaneously.
Additionally, more than 25,000 students graduate from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs in Toronto every year. About 300,000 STEM graduates of Toronto-based post-secondary institutions are now working in a technology-related industry.
Life in Toronto for ImmigrantsFrequently Asked Questions
See answers to some of the questions often asked by other viewers of this post.
What are some facts about Toronto?
- Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario
- It is the most populous city in Canada
- The city population of Toronto was 2,794,356 as of 2021, and has a total area of 630.20 km2
- Toronto is also the largest tech talent hub in North America
What universities and colleges are in Toronto, ON, Canada?
- University of Toronto (U of T)
- Ryerson University
- Seneca College
- Humber College
- George Brown College
What pathways allow foreigners to immigrate directly to Toronto, Ontario?
Indeed, Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), Express Entry Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, and Global Talent Stream (GTS) creates possibilities for foreign nationals to immigrate to Toronto.
How much is the average tech salary in Toronto?
On a yearly basis, tech workers in Toronto earn an average salary of $90,000 Canadian Dollars.
Which city in Canada has the highest tech jobs?
The city of Toronto, ON, has the most of tech occupations across all provinces and territories in Canada.
What are some of the best tech jobs in Toronto?
- Web development
- Security analyst/architecture
- Software development
- Network engineering
- Data engineering
- Cloud architecture
- IT project manager
Who are employers of tech graduates in Toronto?
- Apple
- Superion Inc.
- Rakuten Kobo Inc.
- Alcumus Group
- Torn Banners Studios
- Microsoft
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition
- Deloitte
- TELUS
Conclusion
Conclusively, It is without doubt that Toronto is the largest tech talent hub in North America. Close to half of its residents are foreigners from many countries outside Canada. Over the years, Toronto has been consistently creating thousands of jobs than graduates.
In recent months, many companies opened new offices in order to extend their operations in the city’s booming economy. Even US companies and brands had to follow suit as lower cost was involved.
