By Joaquim P. Menezes -
A report published today is upbeat about the IT career market in Canada.
The demand for qualified IT professionals has reached a 26 year high in Canada, proclaims CNC Global's quarterly report: "IT Staffing Requirements in the Canadian Market – Q2, 2007.”
Here are some sanguine statistics presented by the report:
- National demand for IT professionals has increased 17 per cent compared to the same period last year;
- The winners are the job seekers, and qualified candidates can expect to see three to four job offers;
According to the report, most major Canadian metros are displaying the same trend. For instance, it says:- In the GTA, requirements jumped 19 per cent over the past 12 months;- This growth was led by the demand for Network Administrators, up 116 per cent and Project Managers 40 per cent in the same period.
In Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg, the demand for infrastructure roles jumped 15 per cent in the last quarter.
- The strongest growth area in the West was Edmonton, where overall requirements jumped 7 per cent in the second quarter, and 69 per cent over the past 12 months, with a focus on Web Developers, Business Analysts and Application Support.
- Montreal, we are told, posted “the best second quarter in its history”, with the most requested roles being Application Support, Web Development and Project Managers. And so it goes on...
The CNC Global report data is in line with the findings and views of several other organizations, including the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance) and the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) – both based in Ottawa. Problem is, whenever we publish an article citing the findings of such reports, we get a volley of passionate letters from disgruntled IT professionals complaining the much-touted “job glut” is nothing but hogwash.
“We are well-qualified, but we’re still unemployed,” is a not so uncommon refrain of many IT pros, who write to us. And at the recent IT360 conference in Toronto, Max Haroon, president of Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) also disputed the claim there's an IT skills shortage (and by implication a jobs bonanza) in Canada. "It's a myth," he said. Is a negative perception of IT as a career influencing enrolment trends in Canadian colleges and universities? It would seem so.Also at IT360, a representative from the department of Computer Studies at Seneca College in Toronto noted that enrolment in the institute's Computer Studies program has dropped, including registration by foreign students. So to rephrase Pontius Pilate: “What’s the truth?” Is there really a surfeit of IT jobs out there just willing to be filled? Or is the reverse true?
Or is there – as some have also suggested – a skills mismatch?We would love to hear your views.