Information technologies
A WORLD CLASS CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Greater Montreal stands out in the information technology industry due to its strategic location and skilled workforce. And let’s not forget its high concentration of expertise and the global leaders that operate and invest here! The incentives and advantages related to operating costs have helped Greater Montreal take its place as an IT industry hub.
The IT industry in our area by the numbers
A world-class workforce
223
businesses
3,950
jobs
MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE AREA
Growing offices spaces
The businesses in the Agglomération de Longueuil are strongly rooted in the high-tech era. The numerous companies involved in the industry help increase the productivity and competitiveness of other sectors of the economy. They operate in major activity sectors, such as telecommunications, multimedia, software, e-commerce, components and equipment. The workforce is known for its stability and high aptitude for using new technology. The Agglomération de Longueuil also boasts world-class research and telecommunications sites and infrastructure.
Industry data for Greater Montreal
- 5,000 tech companies in Greater Montreal*
- 179,000 tech workers in Greater Montreal**
- Labour costs are 29.5% lower here than in other Canadian provinces and select U.S. states***
- The tax credit for e-business covers up to 30% of eligible salaries, enabling specialized corporations that carry out innovative, high-value-added activities in the IT sector to obtain a tax credit of an annual maximum of $25,000 per eligible employee****
- Operating costs in the industry are 29% lower than the average of the 20 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the United States
- Advantageous salaries and low mandatory benefit costs for employers
- Office spaces and operating costs are the most competitive, being 2 times less expensive than in New York and 29% less expensive than the average for metropolitan areas in Canada and the U.S.
Skilled workforce in software engineering, IT and video games
- The educational institutions in our area offer IT programs at all levels of education, particularly in programming, virtual reality, augmented reality, software engineering, etc.
- In addition, the Centre de formation en technologies de l’information (CeFTI) on the Longueuil Campus offers graduate programs in software engineering and information technology.
- A graduate diploma in video game development is also offered on the Longueuil Campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.
*Sources: Montréal International’s estimate based on 2018 TECHNOCompétences’ Labour Diagnostic in ICT in Québec; Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
(LFS), 2018.
**Sources: Montréal International’s estimate based on 2018 TECHNOCompétences’ Labour Diagnostic in ICT in Québec; Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
(LFS), 2018.
***Sources: Economic Research Institute
OUR KEY STRENGTHS
- Large pool of manufacturing integrators, which facilitates and accelerates the use of technologies, solutions and products developed here
- Specialized software engineering and information technology programs offered by educational institutions in the area, resulting in a skilled workforce
- Solid contribution to the digitalization of manufacturing businesses