The growing technology sector is looking to solve a worker shortage and it is praising a new made-in-Alberta immigration plan for tech-savvy immigrants..The new Accelerated Tech Pathway hopes to strengthen the workforce by fast-tracking permanent Alberta residency for highly skills professionals..Tech professionals from across Canada and overseas with a job offer in an in-demand tech industry occupation will be fast-tracked, getting them to permanent residence sooner..Alberta’s emerging tech industry has seen a 233% increase since 2012, now being home to over 3,000 tech companies, a.ccording to 2021 Alberta Technology Deal Flow Study..“Alberta’s technology sector continues to see record growth and a corresponding demand for highly skilled professionals,” said Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation..“This accelerated immigration pathway will help attract the best and the brightest talent from across the globe to Alberta to meet this growing demand. It will also ensure Alberta continues to be a top destination for tech investment, which helps diversify our economy.”.The boom also has its setbacks, with companies scrambling to find employees and the immediate demand cannot be fulfilled..Minister of Labour and Immigration Tyler Shandro said the new plan should help the economy by filling necessary jobs with skilled and qualified workers..“With our low taxes, amazing quality of life and reasonable cost of living, Alberta is already becoming a magnet for people seeking opportunity. We’re taking action to make Alberta even more attractive for tech workers,” said Shandro..The 2021 Alberta Deal Flow Study said almost half of tech start-ups in Alberta are at their pre-seed or seed stage, with almost 40% of those companies reporting revenue greater than $1 million in the last fiscal year..“Alberta is becoming a force to be reckoned with in Canada’s technology space, with record-breaking capital investment and an increasing number of companies starting in or expanding to the province,” said Arif Khimani, president & COO, of MobSquad..“The Accelerated Tech Pathway will support this momentum by allowing Alberta to better attract the highly skilled global talent that companies need to flourish, which in turn will attract more investment and create more opportunities for all Albertans.”.Ewa Sudyk is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.esudyk@westernstandardonline.com
