A major American retailer is set to further expand its Canadian presence with the launch of a new tech hub. As part of its global tech plan, Walmart is launching a technology hub in Toronto.
Walmart said it intends to make Toronto one of its larger tech hubs with the promise of providing hundreds of jobs over time. For its initial hiring phase, the company is expected to hire 45 full-time workers from the city in software development, technical program management, and product management.
This is all part of Walmart’s plan to hire more than 5,000 associates globally this fiscal year.
Toronto is one of two new tech hubs Walmart is opening, with the other in Atlanta.
“Walmart’s decision to make Toronto the home of one of its larger tech hubs with hundreds of jobs to come is another vote of confidence in our city’s thriving tech sector,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “This is all part of our non-stop effort to ensure that Toronto comes back stronger than ever.”
Toronto is one of the two new, global tech hubs that Walmart is opening, with the other in Atlanta. To date, Walmart has launched 17 tech hubs, including Seattle and India, which were created last year. The company claims that in the last fiscal year, its global tech division grew by 26 percent, to 20,000 associates.
The launch of a tech hub in Toronto is in line with Arkansas-based Walmart’s commitment to scaling its tech within Canada. In 2020, Walmart invested $3.5 billion into enhancing the online and in-store experience for its Canadian customers, deploying the latest technology from its supply chain to associates.
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Walmart is the latest in a wave of big companies to move into the country in search of tech talent. Those who have already found home here are further bolstering their presence with the promise of more hires.
Most recently, customer relationship management (CRM) platform Hubspot announced it was opening its first Canadian office in Toronto with the aim to add over 50 employees in Ontario.
Twitter ramped up its hiring for its engineering hub in Toronto last year as the social media company uses the country for a testing ground for new tech. Last year, Uber also said it wanted to double its 60 person team in Toronto, two years after it launched its tech hub in the city in late 2019.
IBM Canada consolidated its four existing Toronto offices in June as it looks to intake 500 more hires in the Greater Toronto Area.
Feature image from Mike Mozart via Flickr.
