Canada's technology job market: hungry stomachs, empty larders

By Trevor Stafford on September 14, 2007 - Comments (View)
Energy sector job postings are up, engineering postings are down, and the employment landscape is starved for talent, according to a CATA Employment index.

Obvious statement of the day: the Canadian tech sector is long on job openings and short on people to fill them.

Thanks to CATA, we have a better idea which professional larders are most bare.

CATA reports that its Advanced Technology Employment Index (ATEI), which measures job searches and recruiting activity across multiple online job sites, reached a record high in Q2, 2007.

Of 21 occupational categories, 10 saw growth. Notably, energy/utilities jobs grew by 30% from Q1, 2007. Growth was also strong in IT and computer services.

	Most Frequent Job Searches		Top Job Postings
1	Information Technology	1	Information Technology
2	Computer Software	2	Engineering
3	Engineering	3	Computer Software
4	Computer Hardware	4	Energy/Utilities
5	Telecommunications	5	Consulting Services

According to CATA, 10 categories saw decreased activity, led by Engineering and followed by Internet/E-Commerce, Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare – Radiology/Imaging; Computer Software and Electronics.

A caveat: these numbers are gleaned solely from online job sites (CATA works with Monster.ca) and so do not encompass the fractured recruiting spectrum of emerging tech companies.

Consider this—a Red Canary study in early 2007 showed that only 25% of 150 emerging technology companies posted their current job openings on Workopolis.

Bottom line for emerging tech: the Canadian tech sector is growing, the supply of talent is not.

Roll up your sleeves.

For the complete press release, including provincial results, go here.