Calgary is North America’s fastest-growing tech talent market for the third consecutive year, adding nearly 29,000 tech workers since 2022 as the city continues to build its position as a leading technology hub.
“Leading North America in tech talent growth for a third straight year shows this isn’t a one-time surge — Calgary has built real momentum across our tech workforce,” said Brad Parry, President and CEO, Calgary Economic Development.
CBRE’s 2026 Scoring Tech Talent report shows Calgary’s tech talent workforce grew 56 per cent between 2022 and 2025, the highest growth rate among the 50 North American markets ranked.
“Companies and skilled workers are choosing Calgary because they see opportunity here, and that growing talent base is strengthening both our technology sector and industries across our economy,” said Parry.
Calgary’s tech talent pool reached more than 80,000 workers in 2025, with tech talent now representing 9.4 per cent of employment in the city — well above the 5.5 per cent average across the markets studied.
The Blue Sky City also climbed two spots in CBRE’s overall ranking, moving from 17th in 2025 to 15th among North America’s top 50 tech talent markets.
That sustained growth aligns with Uplook, Calgary’s economic action plan, which focuses on attracting talent, supporting innovation and strengthening the city’s competitiveness in high-growth sectors.
Talent is following opportunity
Calgary’s growth is being supported by a young and expanding population.
According to Statistics Canada data, Calgary is one of the few major Canadian markets where the population of young adults in their 20s is still growing. This gives tech companies a deeper pipeline of emerging talent as other major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver see declines in this age group.
The city recorded the fastest growth in residents in their 20s among large tech talent markets, increasing 21.9 per cent between 2019 and 2024. Calgary’s population in their 30s grew another 20.3 per cent over the same period, ranking fourth among large markets.
Calgary was one of only nine markets where tech job creation exceeded the number of technology degrees awarded. CBRE data shows Calgary added 28,900 tech jobs compared with 3,660 tech degree graduates — a gap of more than 25,000, second only to Toronto.
The gap points to Calgary’s ability to attract skilled workers while highlighting the need to continue building local education and training pathways.
CBRE measures technology occupations across all industries, not only workers employed by technology companies. In Calgary, just 41 per cent of tech talent works directly in the technology industry, meaning most are applying digital skills across sectors such as energy, financial services, agribusiness and health care.
That gives Calgary an advantage on two fronts: growing technology as an economic engine in its own right, while using digital expertise to improve productivity, innovation and competitiveness across established industries.
Capital is following Calgary’s tech growth. Neo Financial raised $68.5 million in February, while OneVest secured approximately US$21 million in Series B financing, GeologicAI closed a US$44 million Series B and Eavor attracted approximately US$65 million in recent funding activity. At the same time, local scale-ups continue to expand their teams and create new jobs in Calgary.
Calgary is a competitive place to grow
For companies looking to start, scale or expand, Calgary continues to pair its growing talent pool with competitive operating costs.
CBRE estimates the combined annual labour and real estate cost for a 500-person technology company in Calgary at approximately US$40.4 million, the fifth lowest among the 50 markets studied and below Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa.
That cost advantage sits alongside a broader set of strengths for technology companies: technically skilled talent, access to corporate headquarters and decision-makers, a growing innovation ecosystem and a competitive business environment.
Calgary is now home to more than 1,300 core technology companies, with startups and global firms alike building across a range of emerging and established technologies.
The city also has more than 40 technology accelerators and incubators supporting founders with access to mentorship, workspaces, labs, capital and connections.
Together, those advantages are helping Calgary compete with larger and more established technology hubs like New York, Seattle or San Francisco — and the latest CBRE results show how quickly the gap is narrowing.
Explore Calgary’s tech sector and the opportunities to build and grow in the Blue Sky City here.