Vancouver’s high tech talent ranking bodes well for commercial real estate, particularly, the hard hit office sector, according to CBRE.

Vancouver climbed to the No. 10 position in CBRE’s 2025 Scoring Tech Talent report, underscoring the city’s growing role in North America’s high-tech ecosystem. The West Coast market moved up one spot to No. 10 in the rankings, which rate the Canadian and U.S. tech markets.

The CBRE findings coincide with recent tech-firm leasing moves in Vancouver. In August, American digital-intelligence firm opened a new research and development centre in Downtown Vancouver so that it could tap into the city’s large tech talent pool. Other firms have often cited the region’s abundant tech talent pool as a key reason for expanding their offices spaces.

Other Canadian cities also their rankings. Toronto moved up to third place overall, driven by the continent’s fourth-largest pool of AI talent. Waterloo Region recorded one of the most significant gains, leaping 11 spots to No. 7, while Ottawa ranked No. 11 and Montreal held steady at No. 15. Nationally, Canada posted 5.9% tech talent growth in 2024 compared with 1.1% in the U.S., adding 66,600 jobs.

The expansion of AI-related companies has also been a key driver for commercial real estate. In the first half of 2025, tech firms accounted for 12.7% of Canadian office leasing activity, up from 9.8% in 2023. Rising demand for AI-related roles contributed to wage growth of 5.2% in Canada last year, outpacing the 3.9% increase in the U.S.

Tech wages in most Canadian markets were strong enough to support housing affordability, helping sustain demand for both office and residential space.

“Artificial intelligence is a transformative technology that is rapidly reshaping the employment landscape across the world, particularly in Canada, which has three of the Top 10 largest AI talent pools in North America in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal,” says CBRE Canada Chairman Paul Morassutti. “The ongoing deployment of AI systems across industries will continue to drive job growth and real estate demand.”

Commercial real estate investors, particularly those involved in the office sector, view employment growth as a key metric when making investment decisions. AI has been a huge driver of tech talent demand and looms as a potential key influencer in the office market’s recovery, said Colin Yasukochi, executive-director of CBRE’s Tech Insights Centre.

“The rapid development and adoption of AI is generating economic growth across major tech hubs like the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Manhattan,” he said. “These markets are receiving record amounts of venture-capital funding and corporate investment in AI initiatives, which often results in hiring and future office demand.

“The AI industry could be the catalyst for another growth cycle among office-using companies, boosting the office market’s recovery.”

No Canadian cities cracked the top 10 AI talent rankings

Canadian Job Growth and Wage Statistics

Canada outperformed the U.S. in tech employment growth, expanding its tech workforce by 5.9% in 2024 versus 1.1% south of the border. Canadian markets also showed stronger wage gains and a sharp increase in office leasing demand tied to the high-tech industry.

• Canada added 66,600 tech jobs in 2024, a +5.9% increase, compared with +1.1% in the U.S.
• The fastest-growing Canadian markets from 2021 to 2024 were Calgary (+61%) and Waterloo (+58%).
• Computer and information systems managers grew by +16% in Canada, the fastest-growing tech occupation.
• Tech wages rose 5.2% in Canada in 2024 versus 3.9% in the U.S.
• In the first half of 2025, tech companies accounted for 12.7% of Canadian office leasing activity, up from 9.8% in 2023.

Top 10 Tech Talent Markets Overall

Top 10 AI Tech Talent Markets

Photo: LinkedIn/Databricks