Canada's QA hiring cools: new postings down 20% in a month
The weekly pace has also eased from its September peak. There are still 265 open roles across 155 companies, but fewer new ones are landing each week.
The middle posted range across all levels. 32% of open roles post their pay.
84 roles with yearly payof open roles are at employers with recent Canadian LMIA approvals. Nokia and Ciena are on the list.
Canada LMIA approvals, matched by employeris what the typical role asks for. 6% ask for 10 years or more.
63% of open roles state yearsThis week's read
There are 265 open QA and Test Engineer roles in Canada right now, spread across 155 companies. But the flow of new postings has slowed: 80 went up in the last 30 days, down from 100 in the 30 days before that, a 20% drop. The weekly count has also eased from its peak of 27 new roles in the week of 14 September to 21 in the week of 26 October, down 22% from that high point. A typical role stays open 23 days before it's filled or pulled.
Employers are asking for experience, not just a pulse. The median minimum is 5 years, and 63% of postings state a years requirement, though only 6% ask for 10 or more years. If you want to know what you'd be paid, only 32% of postings (84 roles) name a figure. Among those, the typical range across all levels is C$86k to C$120k: senior and lead roles run C$103k to C$148k, mid-level roles C$82k to C$110k.
Working from home is rare in this market: just 5% of open roles are remote, so most of this hiring expects you in an office. Hiring is also spread thin: the top 8 employers together hold only 25% of open roles, led by LTIMindtree with 18, Alstom with 10, and Crear Talent and Fortinet with 8 each. For sponsorship, 15% of open roles sit at employers with recent LMIA approvals, a list that includes Nokia and Ciena.
On the skills side, Python shows up in 44% of postings, by far the most asked-for language, followed by Git, Playwright, Selenium, SQL and Jenkins, each named in 22 to 25%. On process, Agile is asked for in 39% of postings and Jira in 25%, with Scrum further behind at 12%. ISTQB is the only certification with real presence, named in 6% of postings.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Move fast once you apply
Roles stay open a median of 23 days and new postings are down 20% over the last month, so don't sit on an application once you see one.
- Brush up on Python and Agile
Python appears in 44% of postings and Agile in 39%, with Git, Playwright, Selenium, SQL and Jenkins each named in about a fifth. These are the most common asks right now.
- Sponsorship is concentrated
Only 15% of open roles sit at employers with recent LMIA approvals. Nokia and Ciena are on that list, so start there if you need visa sponsorship.
Pay
What QA roles in Canada pay, by level
The middle (median) of the pay ranges employers post. Read each bar from the typical low end to the typical high end of a posting. 32% of open roles post their pay.
See the numbers
| Level | Roles with pay | Typical low | Typical high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior / Lead | 27 | C$103k | C$148k |
| Mid level | 53 | C$82k | C$110k |
Yearly CAD ranges only (hourly pay and other currencies are left out). Level is read from the job title.
Momentum
New QA roles each week
Last 30 days: 80 new roles, against 100 the 30 days before (-20%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 23 |
| 14 Sep | 27 |
| 21 Sep | 23 |
| 28 Sep | 20 |
| 5 Oct | 25 |
| 12 Oct | 18 |
| 19 Oct | 19 |
| 26 Oct | 21 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open QA roles
155 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 25% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles | LMIA approvals |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTIMindtree | 18 | ||
| Alstom | 10 | ||
| Crear Talent | 8 | ||
| Fortinet | 8 | ||
| Akamai | 7 | ||
| Nokia | 6 | On the list | |
| Ciena | 5 | On the list | |
| Genetec | 5 |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology QA roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 249 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: SaaS 6%, Financial services 4%, Insurance 4%. Certifications named: ISTQB 6%. 5% of open roles say they are remote.
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