Canada is undergoing rapid growth fuelled by the world’s highest per capita immigration rate—and that is but one among several vectors of change impacting tech and talent across the country in 2024.
The intense spread of A.I. technologies is a force to be reckoned with, with half of workforces needing to reskill over the next three years, an IBM survey found. An ongoing tug-of-war between office and remote work cultures is another factor still.
Recognizing the many powerful changes sweeping Canada, private and public bodies have been pursuing ways to prepare today’s workforce for tomorrow’s work.
Approaches are mixed and it remains too early to analyze outcomes, but here’s a sampling of efforts spurring tech talent innovation and expansion in Canada in 2024.
More Tech Spaces at Universities
Simon Fraser University to set to train more students for a technology-sector career, the B.C.-based institution revealed in May. Powered by provincial funding, 500 new student spaces will open up at SFU, according to the school.
The 500 spaces will be added to SFU’s roster of tech-focused programs. Areas gaining spaces include software systems, agri-tech, social data analytics, data science, and statistics.
The government committed $75 million over three years through its “StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan,” which accelerates talent development and skills training to address workforce challenges across sectors throughout BC.
“Workplaces are transforming, and we have more job openings in growing and in-demand fields than we have skilled workers ready to fill them,” Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, said in a statement. “We are excited to add more student spaces for people to learn, grow and thrive in these in-demand careers.”
The expansion of technology-relevant spaces at SFU is part of a larger provincial plan to create 3,000 more tech spaces across the region’s public post-secondary education system. UBC unveiled 800 new spaces.
“The students who will be filling these hundreds of seats . . . will help increase the supply of talent into the province’s rapidly expanding tech sector,” stated B.C.’s jobs minister, Brenda Bailey, in April.
Amazing Amazon Robotics Roles
Since 2010, Amazon has made direct investments of more than $40 billion into Canadian operations, from capital expenditures such as building out data infrastructure to operating expenditures, including wages for 45,000 full- and part-time employees throughout the country.
The latest move in Canada from Amazon is the launch of YYC4, a new facility spanning nearly three million square feet. The sizeable fulfilment centre will leverage the latest in robotics technology to deliver efficient services.
Technology used at YYC4 includes RWC4, a robotic arm that sorts cargo by destination and builds pallets for shipping, and Kermit, an intelligent trolley designed to tow empty totes around the facility. And more than 1,500 workers are employed onsite, working alongside automated systems and robots to pick, pack, and ship customer orders.
“Through the ingenuity of our Amazon Robotics technology, we are creating new career paths and development opportunities,” stated Sushant Jha, General Manager at YYC4.
“The goal isn’t just to master new technology, but to chart a whole new career path,” added Danielle Olliviere, a Learning Trainer at YYC4, in May. “We’re not just keeping up with the times; we’re shaping the future.”
Amazon is on a mission to be “Earth’s best employer.” This includes offering employees educational opportunities through upskilling programs like Career Choice, a paid benefit that allows eligible workers to grow their careers by building the skills needed for today’s most in-demand fields.
Talent Pools in the Blue Economy
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster recently announced the Canadian Electric Propulsion Acceleration Coalition Project, which will expedite the development and commercialization of electric propulsion systems through collaboration among marine industry stakeholders, thus cultivating new jobs in the country’s clean technology sector.
Since its creation in 2018, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster aims to accelerate made-in-Canada ocean solutions across energy, food security, and transportation—while also creating quality jobs and attracting talent.
The Canadian Electric Propulsion Acceleration Coalition will specifically look to establish a Canadian electric boat manufacturing supply chain, addressing challenges such as fleet electrification and hull design optimization.
The effort is based on Ambition 2035, which revolves around dramatically increasing the potential of Canada’s “blue economy” and the career opportunities available therein, as well as up-skilling the workforce for green-tech jobs.
300 New Opportunities in Hydrogen
HTEC, Canada’s leading clean hydrogen solutions company, announced recently that they are partnering with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure.
A $337 million investment from CIB will contribute to the implementation of HTEC’s full-service, sustainable fuel supply chain focused on reducing emissions in the transportation sector, called H2 Gateway.
The partnership will allow HTEC to build a by-product hydrogen liquefaction facility and three new hydrogen production facilities to expand Canada’s low carbon fuel supply capacity. This includes up to 20 hydrogen refuelling stations online in British Columbia and Alberta, more than doubling the amount of refuelling stations in Canada.
The refuelling stations will be supported by three new hydrogen production facilities located in Burnaby, Nanaimo, and Prince George, and a facility that liquefies 15 tonnes per day of vented by-product hydrogen in North Vancouver.
It is estimated that more than 280 full-time jobs will be created to build, operate, and support the hydrogen infrastructure, according to B.C. Premier David Eby.
“We can’t afford to miss this economic opportunity,” he stated. “That’s why we’re supporting job-creating clean-energy hydrogen projects that will drive new investment and reduce pollution.”
