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Strong demand from both the public and private sector over the coming eight years will open up many opportunities for foreign nationals qualified to work in Canada as data scientists to gain their permanent residence here through occupation-targeted Express Entry system draws.
Job Bank, the federal government’s job-hunting and career-planning website, is forecasting that the current labour shortage of these professionals will persist through to 2031.
“Computer services benefit from the constant development of innovative computer and communications products that are designed and serviced by the industry,” notes the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) website.
“Cloud-based platforms, the Internet of Things, big data and open-source software continue to gain in popularity, while the implementation of 5G networks and further developments in advanced manufacturing, autonomous transport, virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, language processing and biometric security represent a multitude of growth opportunities.
“Consumers and businesses own multiple electronic devices and are increasingly asking for compatibility, transferability, and access to their content from any of those devices.”
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With Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changing Canada’s Express Entry system to allow it to target 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture this summer – including data scientists – it opened the door to a new pathway to immigration for them.
Data scientist job titles, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 21211, include:
- data architect
- data scientist
- machine learning engineer
- machine learning specialist
- quantitative analyst
And are closely related to the following jobs:
- computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
- database analysts and data administrators
- computer and information systems managers
- information systems specialists
- mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
- software engineers and designers
In May this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made all of these workers eligible for immigration to Canada Express Entry occupation-targeted draws.
The flagship Express Entry selection system had previously only conducted draws based on immigration programs, not by targeting specific occupations.
“Everywhere I go, I’ve heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages,” said then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
Occupation-Targeted Express Entry Draws Aim To Reduce Labour Shortages
“These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labour shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities.”
Job Bank ranks the job prospects of data scientists over the next three years as very good, its highest rating, in Quebec and good throughout the rest of the country.
In early November, the Indeed.ca job-hunting website listed 617 jobs for data scientists across the country.
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In Canada, the median hourly wage for these workers is $39 but that varies from a low of $23.08 right up to $56.41, reveals Job Bank.
Based on a 37.5-hour work week, that means a data scientist can expect to earn up to $109,999 annually in Canada.
Candidates hoping to immigrate through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws need at least six months of continuous work experience in Canada or abroad within the past three years in one of these occupations to be eligible, experience that can have been gained while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with a work permits or as an international student with a student visa.
Under the changes announced at the end of May, the Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are now more responsive to labour market needs.
Canada first signalled its intention to start occupation-specific draws through Express Entry in June last year, when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.
The majority of Canada’s provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years.
Under the changes to the act, the immigration minister is required to consult provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, before announcing new categories.
IRCC must also report to parliament each year on the categories that were chosen and the reason for the choices.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, federal high skilled admissions accounted for between 34 and 40 per cent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which manages its own immigration intake.