Vancouver's Tech Sector - Tech team working in an office with computers

Technology

A cornerstone of Vancouver’s 21st-century economy

What is the technology sector in Vancouver?

In every field, and every facet of the economy, the technology sector has been responsible for developing goods and services that streamline processes, reduce costs, increase competitive advantages, and improve communication and data management. Moreover, tech has emerged as an essential factor of economic growth and international competitiveness for cities. The digital economy has also played an increasingly large role in social, societal, environmental, and cultural contexts.

The industry includes information and communications technology (ICT), software development and engineering services, along with their applications in fields like new mobility, education, and smart cities.

British Columbia has the fastest-growing tech workforce in Canada, with more than 194,000 tech workers across all industries. Provincial tech employment growth was more than double the Canadian average during the past five years, with tech sector jobs paying 79.4% more than the B.C. provincial average.

Why is Vancouver’s tech sector important?

Technology is a critical pillar of BC’s economy and has supported Vancouver’s maturation into a global hub for cleantech, life sciences and digital entertainment, including animation, visual effects, games development, and virtual, augmented and extended reality.

  • Global companies choose Vancouver

    Unparalleled technology talent, geographic advantages, and among the lowest operating costs and taxes of major North American cities have driven a strong roster of the world’s leading companies to Vancouver. In addition to global brands such as Microsoft, Amazon, Mastercard, Electronic Arts, Fujitsu, Intel, Samsung, and SAP.

  • Talent magnet

    Vancouver’s bustling tech ecosystem – home to thousands of homegrown startups and global technology companies – has captured the attention of tech talent from around the world. Couple that with Vancouver’s reputation as one of the world’s most livable and diverse cities and favourable immigration policies, and it’s no wonder that tech workers view Vancouver as an unparalleled place to transform their careers.

  • Research and development powerhouse

    Canada is renowned for diverse R&D funding supports by government and academia, and our companies and universities have a high output of quality intellectual property (IP). When successfully commercialized and scaled, these ventures in turn mature into Vancouver and BC-based based anchor companies that generate jobs and revenue, and whose decisions are made and rooted in the local context.

  • High-value IP

    The creation and retention of high-value intellectual property (IP) is a significant component of building a resilient and prosperous economy – owning IP means having the right to commercialize and otherwise monetize it. When successfully scaled, these ventures may in turn mature into Vancouver and BC-based based anchor companies that generate jobs and revenue, and whose decisions are made and rooted in the local context. Related: Venture capital firms in the Vancouver.

What are the opportunities for tech businesses?

  • Digital transformation

    Digital transformation is the process of using digital tech to create or modify existing business processes, culture and client experiences to meet changing market and business requirements. Businesses who successfully navigate this process could tap into a wealth of benefits across numerous applications, including point of sale and e-commerce, fleet management, and accounting automation.

  • Climate technology

    The term “climate technologies” may apply to highly scalable tech startups with solutions designed and developed in service of reducing GHG emissions or addressing the impacts of climate change. With all orders of government committed to a net-zero emissions transition, this is a huge market and business opportunity.

  • Web 3.0

    Web 3.0 refers to the emerging iteration of a decentralized internet built on blockchain technology, reinforced by token-based currencies and systems, and aided by artificial intelligence and machine learning. All the tech and concepts underlying Web 3.0 have promising enterprise, smart city and net-zero economy applications.

Key stats on Vancouver’s tech industry

  • #1 Fastest-growing tech employment in North America 2022, CBRE
  • 115K Tech jobs in Metro Vancouver 2022, CBRE
  • 9.1% Of total Metro Vancouver jobs are tech jobs 2022, CBRE

Vancouver’s tech sector potential

Photograph of a farmer on a tractor inside a barn with cows feeding

Agritech

Sometimes grouped under cleantech, agritech innovations in Vancouver and BC are breaking new frontiers in vertical and regenerative farming systems, green chemistry, land remediation, and waste reduction technologies.

Image of code on a screen

Artificial Intelligence

Vancouver’s skilled labour pool, training programs, research institutes and overall strength in computer vision and generative learning have made the city a key node in Canada’s robust artificial intelligence industry.

Photograph of two employees visualizing augmented reality technology on a tablet

Cleantech

Vancouver is fertile ground for cleantech, with the highest concentration of these companies in Canada: according to Invest in Canada, more than 300 of Canada’s approximately 1,000 cleantech companies are based in BC, and the Vancouver region accounts for some 75% of them.

Photograph of a female technician looking under a microscope

Life Sciences

Vancouver and BC have a proud history of supporting globally impactful life science organizations, with the industry employing an estimated one in 140 workers in the province.

Photograph of a female post-production artist editing video at her desk

Post-production and animation

Vancouver is the world’s foremost centre for animation and post-production, which includes visual effects (VFX). The city’s tech talent produces VFX for the world’s biggest films and top-selling video games. Many top VFX firms develop and maintain proprietary animation and VFX software.

Virtual, augmented, mixed and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR)

BC has the world’s largest cluster of computer vision companies and the second-largest concentration of VR, AR and MR startups. Vancouver companies are ushering in a new era enabled by new immersive platforms.

What’s driving Vancouver’s tech sector

Vancouver’s bustling tech ecosystem – home to thousands of homegrown startups and global technology companies – has captured the attention of tech talent from around the world. Couple that with Vancouver’s reputation as one of the world’s most livable and diverse cities, as well as favourable immigration policies, and it’s no wonder that tech workers view Vancouver as an unparalleled place to transform their careers.

  • World-renowned education.

    Vancouver is home to the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU), two of Canada’s top 10 universities for technology. UBC and SFU, along with the University of Victoria (UVIC), rank among Canada’s top 10 post-secondary computer science and engineering programs.

    Even tech-focused institutes like Northeastern University have set up satellite campuses here to service Vancouver’s job market.

  • Diverse job prospects

    With technology and digital tools supporting every industry, the opportunities in this industry are varied, and many skills are highly transferrable, making it a compelling career option for many.

  • Catalyzing new ventures

    Canada is renowned for diverse R&D funding supports by government and academia, and our companies and universities have a high output of quality intellectual property (IP).

  • Part of the Pacific Tech Time Zone

    Vancouver’s geographic location is a distinct advantage allowing for quick and direct movement between cities in the Pacific Tech Timezone (PTT): Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and San Diego. For example, flight times from Vancouver to Los Angeles clock in a mere three hours.

Government and Ecosystem Support for Technology in Vancouver

British Columbia’s economic growth depends on having enough skilled and qualified people to meet labour market needs. The provincial and federal government also provides considerable research and development (R&D) incentives, and for scaling and anchoring high-potential companies.

There is also growing support for tech innovators who identify as being First Nations and other Indigenous communities. Moreover, there are innumerable opportunities in climate technology given Vancouver’s strength in the green economy and ambitious climate action policy from all orders of government.

Learn more about government & ecosystem supports

Examples from Vancouver’s high-performing tech sector

Vancouver’s diverse tech ecosystem is comprised of numerous homegrown enterprises, with some of the world’s leading companies in their respective fields founded in Vancouver.

Ostara

Ostara – fertilizers and nutrient recovery from wastewater.

Semios

Semios – crop management platform for smarter field management
MetaOptima Logo

MetaOptima

MetaOptima – intelligent dermatology skin analytics
Variational AI Logo

Variational AI

Variational AI – applying AI to drug discovery
Saltworks Logo

Saltworks

Saltworks – wastewater treatment and remediation
Ronin8 Logo

Ronin8

Ronin8 – waste and materials management

AbCellera

AbCellera – antibody discovery and development solutions
Stemcell Technologies Logo

Stemcell Technologies

Stemcell Technologies – cell culture media creation

Image Engine Logo

Image Engine

Image Engine – world-class visual effects studio specializing in photoreal VFX for feature films and television
Ziva Dynamics Logo

Ziva Dynamics

Ziva Dynamics – award-winning tools that help bring virtual characters to life
D-Wave Systems Logo

D-Wave Systems

D-Wave Systems – World’s first commercial quantum computer
1QBit Logo

1Qbit

1Qbit – Hardware-agnostic software, originally developed for quantum
Trulioo Logo

Trulioo

Trulioo – global online identity verification service
Avigilon Logo

Avigilon

Avigilon – cutting-edge video security powered by AI
LlamaZOO Logo

LlamaZOO

LlamaZOO – 3D Digital Twins and VR technologies
Precision OS Logo

Precision OS

Precision OS – virtual reality surgical training solutions for the medical industry

Tech jobs and training opportunities

As a part of their commitment to educational excellence, BC universities continually evolve their program mix to meet the needs of the technology sector.

According to the BC Government Labour Market Outlook 2021, the professional, scientific, and technical services industry is predicted to have the highest number of job openings in the next 10 years. With estimates of 262,000 to 362,000 job openings, but only 102,000 tech workers to fill them, the potential labour gap is a vast range of between 160,000 to 260,000 tech workers.

More recent labour market projections from the province of BC suggest that the healthcare and technology sectors will be among the primary drivers for new job opportunities, and that 80 percent of jobs that are available and created will require some level of post-secondary education.

Breakdown: The local tech job landscape

Tech jobs are on the rise

52,600 +85.8%

Software Developers and Programmers

42,600 +73.7%

Computer Support, Database and Systems

12,400 +1.3%

Technology Engineering-Related

7,800 +24.0%

Computer and Information Systems Managers

115,400 +62.7%*

Total Tech Jobs

*Growth during 2016-2021, CBRE Tech Talent 2022

Increased investment into STEM education

In May 2023, the BC government announced new investment into its post-secondary institutions to increase the number of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students. This involves adding 3,000 more tech-related spaces on top of the 2,900 new student spaces created over the last six years, for a total of nearly 6,000 new spaces through BC since 2017.

Retaining talent

The tech sector’s meteoric ascent over the past decade is, as of late 2022, beginning to weather some economic headwinds. However, skilled workers continue to be in demand, and the ecosystem has banded together to create job boards to keep them employed and in Vancouver.

Canada’s top software engineering programs:

VEC programs, research, and resources for the tech sector

Program

Angels for Climate Solutions Program

A cohort-based program designed to connect startups with investors and increase the flow of capital investment into BC climate tech ventures.

➔ Learn more

Program

Project Greenlight

Uses challenge-based calls for innovation that enable large asset-owners and enterprises to swiftly find and pilot smart city solutions.

➔ Learn more

Course

Digital and Innovation and Leadership Program (SFU)

Measures the impact of the BC Energy Step Code and forecasts market demand in six key product categories

➔ Learn more

Opportunity

Zero Waste Demonstration Site

Data visualization tool by OPEN Technologies designed to help industry players, capital providers and policymakers leverage Vancouver’s multibillion-dollar green buildings opportunity

➔ Learn more

Resource

Vancouver Cross-Border Investment Guide

An in-depth overview of the legal and tax considerations of investing in Vancouver, Canada

➔ Learn more

Recap

Tech Bootcamps for Newcomer Workers

The Tech Bootcamps are employer-informed and cohort-based bootcamps meant to deliver soft skills-focused training to tech-skilled newcomers.

➔ Download now

Looking for more resources?

Resources
Global Cleantech 100 Cleantech Group
Global Startup Ecosystem Report Startup Genome
British Columbia Cleantech 2019 Status Report KPMG
Life Sciences in Metro Vancouver: Shaping a Globally Prominent R&D Hub Invest Vancouver
Water Tech: The Metro Vancouver Region’s Untapped Clean Tech Opportunity Invest Vancouver
Agritech Today, Building for Tomorrow Invest Vancouver
Reality Check: Vancouver and BC’s VR/AR Ecosystem (2020) VRAR Vancouver / Vancouver Economic Commission
Creative XR in British Columbia Research Report (2022) DigiBC / Nordicity
BC’s $25 Billion Opportunity: a Transformative Agenda BC Tech Association