Waterloo Region has been ranked among the top 10 technology talent markets in North America, according to a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE. The region placed No. 10 in CBRE’s 2026 Scoring Tech Talent report, which ranks the top technology employment markets across the United States and Canada. Other noteworthy Canadian markets included Toronto, which ranked No. 3, Vancouver at No. 9 and Montreal at No. 11. Ottawa ranked No. 14 and Calgary No. 15, giving Canada six markets in the top 15 and eight in the top 50. Quebec City ranked No. 37 and Edmonton No. 42. CBRE’s 13th annual report analyzes 75 U.S. and Canadian markets using 13 measures, including tech talent concentration, talent pipeline and research and development investment. The report also highlights rapid growth in artificial intelligence-related employment. The number of workers with AI skills in the U.S. and Canada grew by 45 per cent over the past year, with about 751,000 AI-related workers recorded as of June 2026. Canada’s AI workforce is particularly concentrated in three cities, with 60 per cent of AI jobs based in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. AI companies across Canada occupy about five million square feet of office space, with three million square feet located in Toronto and nearly one million square feet in Montreal. “Canadian cities are at the forefront of AI adoption,” Marc Meehan, CBRE Canada’s managing director of research, said in a release. “Having six markets in the Top 15 and eight cities in the top 50 is impressive for a country our size.” The report said Canadian technology employment growth has rebounded in recent years. “Canada has been the dominant growth story for tech talent over the past five years, with many U.S. and Canadian tech firms tapping into the high quality and comparatively affordable talent on offer here,” Meehan said. CBRE defines tech talent as highly skilled workers across more than 20 technology-related occupations, including software developers, hardware engineers and computer and information systems managers.
