Canada Job trends - Data Scientist in 2023-24

Why work in Canada as a Data Scientist?

A Data Scientist is an important professional in the IT sector. In the parlance of technology, data scientists create the infrastructure to perform analysis of information, test the data in various ways, build machine learning structures for optimal decision-making, and create data products.

In Canada, data scientists can find numerous opportunities in the IT sector to work and grow in their careers. Here are some prominent reasons for data scientists to choose to work in Canada:

• In a majority of Canadian provinces, Data Scientists can find highly prospective careers waiting for them.
• Data Scientists can choose to work remotely as the nature of work of this profession is highly flexible.
• The median salary paid to Data Scientists is quite high. This is true even for those working in the role at the entry-level.
• There are no mandatory qualification requirements for data science professionals like data scientists.
• In Canada, there are numerous industry sectors that need the services of a data scientist. These include:
  • Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
  • Marketing- Advertising
  • Telecommunications industry
  • Banking and Finance
  • Education
  • Government
  • Internet industry
  • Automotive Industry
  • Retail Industry
  • Entertainment and Media
  • Outsourcing industry
• Data Scientists are among the most paid professionals in the IT sector in Canada.

About Canada

Canada is a go-to destination for IT professionals. If you are a qualified IT professional, get a visa, fly out to Canada, and build a career for yourself with any of the many global IT enterprises with their presence there. Otherwise, you can look for job opportunities in various industrial sectors that need the services of experienced IT professionals.

Canada is a nation that offers over one million job opportunities in over 23 industrial sectors. Why is there a demand for foreign professionals in Canada? The reason is that Canada is finding it hard to find enough able professionals from its native population in sufficient numbers to meet the job market demand. The reasons for this include a low birth rate and an increasing gap in the workforce of the country due to increasing retirements of aged workers.

Canada needs skilled immigrants in large numbers. The latest immigration levels plan for 2023-2025, reveals that the country aims to bring in 465,000 immigrants in 2023. Increasing the target progressively, the country is aiming at welcoming 485,000 in 2024. In 2025, this number touches 500,000.

As data scientists are among the most resourceful and in-demand IT professionals in Canada, their prospects in Canada are bright now and in the coming future. How can data scientists find their best careers in Canada? Let’s figure it out from the information at hand.

Job trends in Canada, 2023

Let’s first check out which provinces in Canada have a high demand for Data Scientists.

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan

In 2022, the IT sector is expected to grow by 5.3 percent. In the period till 2024, the growth in this sector is projected to be 22.4 percent. This trend is also indicative of the growth in the prospects in professions involved in this sector including Data Scientists. The services of data scientists are required in major industries like marketing, finance, IT, retail, and banking. So, if you are a data scientist, you have a pretty good chance of building a career in Canada in various industrial sectors.

Occupation	NOC 2021 (TEER) Code
Data Scientist	21211

Prevailing wages of Data Scientists in Canada

The average annual salary for Data Scientist in Canada is CAD74,880. Here are the currently prevailing wages for this job in Canada’s communities and regions:

Region	Annual Median Salary (in CAD)
Alberta	78,720
British Columbia	78,720
Manitoba	67,200
New Brunswick	72,960
Newfoundland and Labrador	72,960
Nova Scotia	72,960
Ontario	78,720
Prince Edward Island	65,280
Quebec	65,280
Saskatchewan	74,880

Eligibility criteria for Data Scientist

The following are the requirements to meet to work in Canada as a Data Scientist:

• One of the following
  • A bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics, computer systems engineering, computer science, or a discipline related to the profession
  • Certification of having undergone a college program in computer science
• A master's/doctoral degree in data science, machine learning, or a quantitative field related to the occupation
• Experience in programming
• Experience in machine learning/statistical modeling

In Canada, you may need to get a professional license to start working as a data scientist. The license will be issued by a regulatory authority. However, based on the occupation you take up in Canada, this requirement may be mandatory or voluntary.

• In case the license is mandatory, you have to obtain certification before you can start practicing the profession and use the designation for the profession.
• In case the license is voluntary, you aren’t required to obtain certification to practice this profession.

Data Scientist - Number of vacancies in Canada

Currently, the number of jobs in Canada available for data scientists as listed on the Canada Job Bank is around 30. You need to regularly update yourself on the number of job vacancies on this portal to know the latest number of opportunities.

How can a Data Scientist immigrate to Canada?

There’s more than one pathway for tech professionals like data scientists to immigrate to Canada. Let’s examine which are those.

Express Entry

Tech professionals use Express Entry as a popular pathway when they want to immigrate to Canada and settle in this country permanently. The lion’s share of immigrants who arrive every year in Canada immigrates through Canada Express Entry system.

Under the Canada Express Entry, there are three main economic programs that are operational. They are:

• FSW (Federal Skilled Worker)
• FST (Federal Skilled Trades)
• CEC (Canadian Experience Class)

The FSW program is best suited for workers in technology without any previous experience of working in Canada.

To immigrate via the Express Entry system, you need to submit an online profile. This profile will be created with all information including your qualifications and credentials. The CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) will assign scores for your credentials. If you have a CRS score that stands above the cut-off score, you stand a chance to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada. The highest CRS scores attract invitations first while a round of invitations is conducted by IRCC.

The current system of Express Entry has shifted the weightage from merely CRS scores to inviting Canada immigration candidates according to the occupations in demand as determined by the Minister of Immigration from time to time. This change in the way of selecting immigration candidates has been adopted with meeting the essential job market needs.

Hence, it’s necessary for you to keep track of the latest priorities considered in Express Entry draws. Tech professionals like data scientists are constantly in high demand. So, their odds of being able to immigrate via Express Entry are high.

Provincial Nominee Programs for Tech Workers

Another popular pathway for tech professionals like data scientists to immigrate to Canada is the PNP (Provincial Nominee Program). There are many provinces in Canada that provide their own PNP programs that give experienced data scientists the pathway to immigrate to Canada and settle in the region. Of these PNP programs, few invite immigration candidates from the Express Entry candidate pool by offering them a provincial nomination for permanent residency.

Let's look at three PNPs that data scientists can or tech workers overseas that want to settle permanently in Canada:

Ontario Human Capital Priorities Stream

Data scientists can immigrate to Canada using the Ontario Human Capital Priorities stream even without having a job offer. Nevertheless, they must be first invited by the province of Ontario through a tech draw.

If they are invited, they will receive an NOI (Notification of Interest) to which they have to respond within 45 days of receipt of the same by applying for PR nomination.

British Columbia PNP Tech

BC PNP conducts tech draws for candidates who are tech professionals like data scientists. BC PNP Tech program provides accelerated processing of applications for immigration candidates holding a job offer from an employer in British Columba. The job offer must be in one of the 27 tech occupations that are prioritized.

Candidates who apply through this immigration program don’t need to procure an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment). They must however have the eligibility to apply for the visa under one of the Skills Immigration streams offered by British Columbia.

Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway

Another accelerated immigration pathway for tech professionals like data scientists is the AINP (Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program). Candidates require job offers from employers in Alberta. To gain eligibility to apply for immigration under this immigration program, candidates need to receive a job offer in one of 37 occupations in the tech sector in Alberta. Or else a job offer must be received from an employer in one of the identified tech sectors in Alberta.

Quebec Immigration

Data scientists can utilize the immigration pilot program for tech workers introduced by Quebec in 2021. It allows foreign professionals in select tech occupations to settle in Quebec on a permanent basis.

This program has two streams namely

• Artificial intelligence, which targets graduates from a college/university in Quebec or tech professionals who have trained outside of Canada
• IT & visual effects, which targets foreign workers with experience in one of ten select occupations

To apply under both streams, applicants have to be aged a minimum of 18 years. They must have the intention to work and settle in Quebec. They also have to have respect for the conditions of their work permit in Quebec. Another mandatory requirement is that they must prove their financial self-sufficiency.

How can Y-Axis help a Data Scientist to immigrate to Canada?

For trusted and globally reputed multiple services necessary for a potential immigrant wanting to move to Canada, visit Y-Axis. Professionals like Data Scientists wanting to move to Canada can seek our valuable services namely:

• Free Canada immigration points calculator to figure out your best chances to move to Canada.
• Expert assistance to apply for a Canada PR visa.
• Immigration consultancy to show you the right path to immigrate risk-free and hassle-free.
• Expert coaching services for language proficiency tests like IELTS, CELPIP, and PTE that are accepted in Canada.
• Career counseling with expert advice.

If you are willing to migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE.

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