IT is the fastest growing sector in Canada in terms of job creation, according to human resources firm, Randstad Canada. That’s good news for tech professionals, but the fast-changing market makes it challenging to plan for the future.
According to Randstad, Toronto is the fastest-growing market for tech jobs in the world, beating out Silicon Valley in the U.S. Ottawa and Montreal also made the list of the top 15 fastest growing IT job markets.
Randstad reported that the top in-demand skills in 2019 are coding and programming. In ITWC’s 2019 CIO Census, tech leaders said they’re most in need of finding skilled enterprise app developers as well as data and business analysts.
Rapid technology developments and disruptive shifts in every industry make it difficult to predict whether those will be the top skills needed in the future. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates in a report that “out of Canada’s roughly 18-million person workforce today, as many as 10 million workers will have to do completely different jobs by 2030”.
What skills will be needed in the future?
While job prospects are positive for tech workers, it’s not easy to plan their career path in such a fast-moving environment. There isn’t much Canadian data on what it will take to be successful in IT over the next five years, or more.
Although Statistics Canada conducts a quarterly poll of business and their talent needs, many say the information available isn’t sufficiently detailed. “What we’re missing is the details on the characteristics on the jobs that are vacant,” Queen’s University economist Don Drummond, recently told the Globe and Mail. In other words, it doesn’t identify the skills and certifications that will be required in the future.
New cross-Canada survey to provide answers
To help tech workers in Canada future-proof their careers, IT World Canada and sponsoring partner AWS are conducting a national survey to uncover the essential skills needed to survive and thrive in the coming years. The survey will ask IT professionals about what trends they believe will have the biggest impact on business and their job roles in the next five years. It will also seek their opinions on the skills, certifications and job strategies they need to embrace to be successful in the changing market.
The insider views of IT professionals across Canada will form the basis of a report called Strategy and Skills 2025. It will be shared with all participants who fill in the survey to help them make sure their career is on the right path.
Click here to take the online survey Skills Evolved: Preparing for 2025 and Beyond.