Layoffs have dominated the tech landscape since mid-2022, and while much of the conversation has centred around American layoffs, Canada has been significantly affected too.
Shopify, one of Canada’s largest software companies, announced in May of last year that it was set to do a second round of job cuts, and would lay off 20 percent of its workforce, less than a year laying off what was then 10 percent of its team.
Shopify is not alone. So far this year, Canadian tech companies that have trimmed their headcounts include Lightspeed, Top Hat, Loopio, Wattpad, 7shifts, and BenchSci.
As of November 2023, 11.7 percent of Canadian employees worked under a hybrid arrangement.
US tech firms with offices in Canada, such as Dell, Salesforce, and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, have also laid off Canadian workers. The unemployment rate ticked up to 6.1 percent in March, from 5.8 percent in February—its highest level since October 2021, which means those in stable jobs are far more likely to stay put.
Despite these conditions, many Canadian tech companies are actively looking to grow their teams, and tech talent is still in the driver’s seat. For Canadian job seekers, how they work is becoming the deciding factor in where they work.
Finding a compromise
According to Statistics Canada, there has been a significant decrease in the number of people working mostly from home. In November 2023, the figure stood at 20 percent, dropping from a high of 40 percent in April 2020.
The waning of the pandemic has brought many more workers back into the office. One study from September 2023 found that 70 percent of Canadian office workers were working from the office three days or more per week, with over half being in for four or five days.
That’s despite a Statistics Canada report indicating that “of all employees usually working from home, almost one in four would ideally work a greater proportion of their hours from home.” The same report also noted that “mismatch between employees’ preferences for telework and the hours they work from home may negatively affect employee retention.”
Public sentiment isn’t stopping some companies, such as IBM and Dell, from issuing strict measures to bring workers back to the office. IBM gave its US managers a choice: return to the office or leave, while Dell told its remote workers that they aren’t eligible for promotions or the ability to change roles within the company.
Given this environment, it’s not surprising that many workers and companies are embracing a hybrid schedule, typically requiring one to two days at home and three to four in the office each week. As of November 2023, 11.7 percent of Canadian employees worked under a hybrid arrangement.
As the pandemic dust settles, hybrid work is emerging as a popular compromise between employers and employees—at least for now. If your workplace is mandating a change to the way you work and you’re not too happy about it, this could signal that it is time for a change.
The BetaKit Job Board features thousands of hybrid tech jobs all across Canada, like the three flexible options below.
KUBRA
Kubra’s product development team is looking for a Java software engineer for a hybrid role based in Mississauga, ON.
The successful candidate will work as part of a team of developers focused on building enterprise customer experience management software, contributing to the design of new functionality, and expanding existing functionality. You will participate in the full software development life cycle, and write code and contribute to the software architecture of a highly concurrent, high-throughput system.
The role requires a minimum of five years of experience in Java environments, along with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or an equivalent field. Leadership experience is preferred. Apply for this role here.
TransLink
This cybersecurity architect role at TransLink is offered on a hybrid basis, with flexibility to work both on-site and remotely within BC. The successful applicant will lead the enterprise security architecture practice and integrate security controls into architectures, designs, and solutions, providing oversight on the realization of the overall security posture for the enterprise.
This role will also be responsible for aligning TransLink’s cybersecurity strategy and plans with business goals, providing thought leadership, strategic guidance, and cybersecurity expertise to support business and technology leaders. See the requirements here.
Loopio
RFP management software startup Loopio is remote-first, with its base in Canada and employees working across the globe. The company is looking for a senior software developer to deliver products, and build end-to-end features from scratch for Loopio’s web platform.
This role will be responsible for proactively building technology to prevent bugs as they come up, interacting with and gathering detailed feedback from customers, as well as collaborating closely with product managers and product designers in an Agile environment to bring features to life.
This role requires five or more years of professional software development experience, strong experience in backend/API background of either PHP, Python, or Java, experience in frontend development, with a solid understanding of React and Javascript and a strong understanding of database design and RDBMS such as MySQL. Apply for this job here.
Canada’s top tech companies are hiring. Visit the BetaKit Job Board to discover your next role.
