Thousands of tech workers started hunting for new jobs as layoffs rippled across the industry in recent weeks, but many say these workers wonB次元官网网址檛 be on the market long.
A wave of companies in the tech sector and beyond are lining up to lure in some of the highly-specialized workers startups and tech giants have let go as investor exuberance around the industry faded over the last few months.
B次元官网网址淭he good ones are getting picked up in like an hour and if not, in a day or two,B次元官网网址� said Abdullah Snobar, executive director of the DMZ tech hub in Toronto.
Many people on a circulating list of Wealthsimple employees laid off on June 16 were snagged quickly, he added.
Layoffs.fyi, an aggregator tracking global labour trends, found 140,388 workers lost tech jobs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including 34,627 who were cut in the second quarter of 2022.
Workers from companies with big names like Twitter, Netflix and Substack have been impacted, along with those at startups such as Ritual, Clutch and Goodfood Market Corp. Many work in areas like software development and engineering that are coveted by employers.
Sumeru Chatterjee, who served as head of content and community for Vancouver-based education technology company Thinkific, was laid off in April with about 100 others. HeB次元官网网址檚 now building his own company.
He estimates 10 to 15 per cent of his laid-off Thinkific colleagues took a break to evaluate what they want to do next because they B次元官网网址渉avenB次元官网网址檛 looked up from their desks in the last five to seven years.B次元官网网址�
Two-thirds of the group immediately dove into the job search and found similar roles, but asked their new employers tougher questions about things like the stability of the company during this pullback.
B次元官网网址淭hese are questions I never asked my previous employers or have received as an employer and these tend to be questions around cash flow, runway and profitability,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淵ou know, asking the employers if theyB次元官网网址檝e done layoffs in the past and why and how, asking employers do you have tough conversations internally? And if so, what do they look like?B次元官网网址�
ChatterjeeB次元官网网址檚 colleagues were scooped up in part because tech talent has long been in short supply as companies discover a need for workers specializing in digital operations, e-commerce and software or hardware development.
A 2019 report from the Information and Communications Technology Council, a not-for-profit organization offering labour policy advice, predicted demand for digitally-skilled talent in Canada would reach 193,000 by 2022 and more than 305,000 by 2023.
A 2020 addendum accounting for COVID-19 forecast that demand would be reduced by nearly 24 per cent and said under new baseline scenarios, the digital economy is expected to experience demand for 147,000 workers by 2022, with total employment reaching nearly two million.
The 2019 government-funded report listed software developers, data scientists and analysts, cybersecurity workers and IT support specialists among the most in-demand positions.
It also included results of an online survey of 289 employers, where 54 per cent that said mid-level employees with three to six years of experience were very difficult to source.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e having as hard a time finding someone who can be B次元官网网址� a program lead as we are trying to find a developer,B次元官网网址� Snobar said. B次元官网网址淭alent, in general right now, has been difficult to find.B次元官网网址�
To snag staff, some companies have to pay more. Snobar heard from a startup struggling to replace a staffer that only had four years of experience but was grabbed by a San Francisco brand willing to pay $300,000.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just insane to me,B次元官网网址� said Snobar. B次元官网网址淭hese guys are getting poached and by the big playersB次元官网网址o for startups, you have to find people that are driven not just by dollars, but also by dreams.B次元官网网址�
To compete for tech talent with Silicon Valley firms and buzzy startups, companies in other sectors have tried to mirror some of their benefits and policies, including splashy offices with foosball tables and Friday socials, and even unlimited vacation.
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A downturn could give them an edge, said Leah Nord, senior director of workforce strategies for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
B次元官网网址淭his is their opportunity to open peopleB次元官网网址檚 perspective and say B次元官网网址榤aybe you havenB次元官网网址檛 thought about this (job), but you can be doing interesting, engaging work with a bank, with an insurance company,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she said.
That strategy is playing out at Thomson Reuters Corp., where recruiting is underway for 120 tech jobs, including engineers, data analysts and product managers.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 never easy to find great tech talent, but certainly more talent available in the market does help with that,B次元官网网址� said Shawn Malhotra, global head of engineering at the media conglomerate.
Royal Bank of Canada is also in hiring mode. The financial institution added about 2,000 tech workers last year and is on track to add the same number this year.
While Emily Mercier stresses thereB次元官网网址檚 no one factor that lures in a tech worker, she said RBCB次元官网网址檚 history of surviving headwinds is a selling point, especially as some predict a recession.
B次元官网网址淪ecurity and stability, regardless of market environment, are always going to be attractive to individuals and I donB次元官网网址檛 think that technologists are excluded from that,B次元官网网址� said the chief operating officer of RBCB次元官网网址檚 technology and operations business.
Accounting software company Intuit Canada is also stressing stability and the chance to work on cutting-edge technology as it hires 250 people over the next fiscal year.
B次元官网网址淪ome (workers) are looking for more meaningful roles or youB次元官网网址檙e in smaller startups thatB次元官网网址�.donB次元官网网址檛 have the stability and you hit an economic bump like we are in right now, so suddenly their jobs are redundant,B次元官网网址� said David Marquis, the companyB次元官网网址檚 country manager.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a really great sweet spot because weB次元官网网址檙e stable enough that weB次元官网网址檙e not going to do layoffs and weB次元官网网址檝e got a huge runway, in terms of growth.B次元官网网址�
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
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