That’s a big deal for Canadians, because the report also found that the ranks of workers with artificial intelligence (AI) skills across Canada and the U.S. grew by 45%, with AI-related roles now touching nearly a third of U.S. tech-talent job listings. And in Canada, that growth isn’t spread evenly: 60% of the country’s AI jobs are concentrated in just three cities — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
For Canadians, the obvious takeaway might be “get an AI job in Toronto.” But the numbers show that decision is more nuanced, since pay, competition and cost of living all shift depending on which market you’re looking at. Now the real question is: What city will help me crack that IC (individual contributor) ceiling — the indivisible barrier where hands-on technologists (like software engineers or designers) stop advancing in pay and influence unless they abandon coding/building and transition into people management.
What’s actually happening in Canada’s tech job market
Overall tech-talent employment in Canada grew 7.6% in 2025 according to CBRE, and much of that came from AI-related hiring. Across the U.S. and Canada combined, there were 751,000 AI-related workers as of mid-2026, a year-over-year increase of 45%. The top two fastest-growing AI roles were data scientist, which added 29,000 jobs, and computer and information systems manager, which added 24,600.
CBRE’s Colin Yasukochi, executive director of the firm’s Tech Insights Center, said growth of AI jobs “far outpaced the broader tech-talent category,” which expanded by less than 2% even as employers cut some non-AI tech positions.
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Why ‘any tech job’ isn’t the safe bet it used to be
This AI shift matters because it changes who benefits. A tech job alone no longer guarantees the biggest pay gains — those are flowing disproportionately to AI-adjacent roles.
CBRE Group President John Morris has said some jobs will still be phased out as AI takes on routine tasks, even as the overall job count holds up.
For workers, that means the safer long-term bet is aligning skills with AI-specific demand, rather than banking on staying professionally relevant in the tech field at large.
Where the jobs — and the leverage — really are
In CBRE’s overall rankings, Toronto placed third, Vancouver ninth, Waterloo Region tenth, Montreal 11th, Ottawa 14th and Calgary 15th, with Quebec City and Edmonton also making the top 50.
Among the reasons why Toronto and Calgary stood out was that both cities added more tech jobs than they produced tech graduates between 2022 and 2024 — Toronto by 50,636 positions and Calgary by 25,240. When employers hire faster than local schools can supply talent, it typically strengthens workers’ hand in salary negotiations.
