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Halifax and London: Tech Talent Markets To Watch
July 26, 2021 3 Minute Read
Small but mighty, Halifax and London, ON, are turning heads in the tech world.
London debuted at #10 on the list of the “Next 25” up-and-coming North American tech-talent markets in CBRE’s 2021 Scoring Tech Talent report, which ranks U.S. and Canadian markets on their ability to attract and grow tech talent. London’s total tech employment has grown by 67% in the past five years, for a total tech talent pool of 13,500, more than Tulsa, OK, and Honolulu, HI.
For its part, Halifax moved up two spots to take #7 in the list of 25 up-and-coming North American markets. Halifax saw 24% tech job growth over the past five years, for a total tech labour force of 14,700 workers, bigger than Buffalo, NY.
| Market | Tech Employment | 5-Year Tech Job Growth |
| Dayton, OH | 18,930 | 31% |
| Huntsville, AL | 20,540 | 9% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 19,380 | 21% |
| Omaha, NE | 22,600 | 17% |
| Des Moines, IA | 18,320 | 43% |
| Albany, NY | 18,840 | 3% |
| Halifax, NS | 14,700 | 24% |
| Providence, RI | 17,160 | -3% |
| Tucson, AZ | 15,850 | 47% |
| London, ON | 13,500 | 67% |
“There’s been an encouraging increase in tech jobs and companies in Halifax over the past five years, and that upward momentum can be attributed to a host of different factors, including the low cost of operating here and the steady supply of homegrown tech talent thanks to our incredible local schools,” said Andrew Bergen, CBRE’s Managing Director for Atlantic Canada. “Our tech strength Atlantic Canada to emerge from the pandemic with an even stronger economy.”
The 25 up-and-coming markets are a separate ranking from the 50 top tech markets that CBRE ranks in its Tech Talent Scorecard. The ‘Next 25’ up-and-coming markets are ranked by a different set of criteria than the top 50, including tech talent supply, wages, tech-talent concentration, recent tech talent growth rates and their outlook. The leaderboard of the ‘Next 25’ markets is filled with markets that have posted double-digit growth in tech jobs since 2015.
Halifax’s tech talent is significantly more affordable than similarly sized U.S. markets. Software-developer wages averaged C$79,123 in Halifax last year, up 15.6% over the past five years. Tech degree completions in Halifax totaled 834 in 2019.
London has the most affordable total tech wages of all 75 markets in the report. Software-developer wages averaged C$68,786 in London last year, up 19.2% over the past five years. Tech degree completions in London totaled 761 in 2019, better than Winnipeg, Las Vegas and Birmingham.
Eight Canadian centres made the list of North America’s Top 50 Tech Talent markets, with Toronto holding onto its #4 spot in the North American ranking. Ottawa came in at #10, up four spots from last year, while Vancouver moved up one spot to #11, Montreal held steady at #16 and Calgary jumped six spots to #28.
Three Canadian markets make inaugural appearances in this year’s Top 50 ranking: Waterloo Region, boasting 47% growth in tech talent employment since 2015, debuts at #21; Quebec City at #34; and Edmonton, North America’s fastest-growing tech market over the past five years, at #38.
Waterloo Region was tops on the Next 25 list in last year’s Tech Talent report and look how far it’s come. Edmonton and Quebec City were on the list too, and they’re also in the Top 50 now.
Can Halifax and London be far behind?
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