Intuit Canada Report Highlights Canadian Tech Workers Are Optimistic About Canada’s Role as a Global Innovator but Expect Organizations to Step up in Bettering Society

Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), maker of TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mint, today released the results of a tech talent report surveying more than 500 English and French speaking Canadians working within the technology industry.

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2021 Tech Talent Report - Infographic (Graphic: Business Wire)

As Canada focuses on strengthening the economy; the tech sector is continuing to grow in prominence and is emerging as an industry that can make a significant impact. Technology organizations will be critical to charting the country’s path to recovery – and it starts by keeping a pulse on the perceptions of tech workers.

"The arrival of 2021 brings with it a renewed sense of optimism and purpose. We have a massive opportunity to scale technology for good – and strengthen the backbone of our economy by leveraging the power of our vibrant tech ecosystem. I believe this is Canada’s moment to shine when it comes to innovating, and the key to accelerating this depends on the industry’s ability to attract and retain highly skilled diverse tech talent,” says David Marquis, VP & Country Manager of Intuit Canada.

Here are some key findings from Intuit’s 2021 Tech Talent Report:

Canadians are optimistic about Canada’s role as a global innovator

Canada’s tech sector is important to economic growth and it is enabling the country to shine on the global stage. At $94 billion, the information and communication technology (ICT) sector’s GDP accounts for 5% of the country’s overall GDP.ⁱ

The study found that a majority of Canadian tech workers (80%) believe that the Canadian tech industry is contributing to global tech innovation. Canadians are placing Canada in the top 4 of the 22 most technologically innovative countries.

Canadian tech workers are also placing a renewed emphasis on collaboration as a critical driver of global innovation. Nearly 73% believe that partnerships and knowledge transfer with other tech organizations will be key to fueling innovation across Canada and globally.

Innovation is driving the betterment of society, but there’s room for improvement

While 85% of tech workers believe that the Canadian tech industry is contributing to bettering society, they believe that there is still significant room for improvement and an opportunity for organizations to lead the charge. Tech workers believe that the key ways organizations can step up and contribute is through supporting Canadian start-ups (68%), small businesses (66%), and creating more jobs for Canadians in the tech industry (61%). These are especially important as we look to the future towards rebuilding the Canadian economy.

Working from home is working for tech

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a massive shift to remote work, a change that the tech industry is hoping is here to stay. In fact, once social distancing measures are lifted, 86% of Canadian tech workers prefer working from home at least once a week.

Innovation is still being fostered among employees from their home offices, with 74% feeling the tech industry is doing well at enabling innovation and creativity. To foster remote innovation long-term, 67% say that virtual training and education programs can better support innovation and creativity while working from home.

Diversity and inclusion continues to be a priority for Canadian tech workers

Diversity and inclusion is an area that the Canadian tech industry is making good progress towards with 83% of Canadian workers believing the tech industry supports diversity and inclusion efforts.

However, there is still work to be done, with 70% believing organizations should increase diversity in applicant hiring, screening and interview practices. Canadian workers are also expecting organizations to look beyond, with 57% expecting organizations to donate financially or mentor youth of different backgrounds to pursue careers in tech.

Intuit empowers its employees to bring their whole selves to work and do the best work of their lives, a commitment that has led to 15 years of recognition from Great Place to Work, and a spot on Glassdoor Canada’s Top 25 Best Places to Work in 2021. Enabling high performance cultures and highly engaged teams begins with listening - even more critical as we navigate a constantly changing environment, requiring us to work in new ways.

To further its commitment to supporting the tech workforce, Intuit recently launched the Prosperity Accelerator program in partnership with Highline Beta. The program focuses on a community approach to engaging tech talent across the startup ecosystem to build innovative solutions and solve specific financial prosperity challenges that Canadian consumers and small businesses will be facing in the wake of COVID-19.

To read more, download?Intuit’s 2021 Tech Talent Report here.

About the Survey:

Intuit conducted a survey between October 19th to November 9th 2020 through Asking Canadians, capturing key findings from 501 English and French speaking Canadians within the technology industry. This includes those who are currently employed full-time or part-time in a technology role, and current students who are interested in working in a technology role upon graduation. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 4.38%.

About Intuit: Intuit is a global technology platform that helps our customers and communities overcome their most important financial challenges. Serving millions of customers worldwide with TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mint, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper and we work tirelessly to find new, innovative ways to deliver on this belief. Please visit us for the latest news and information about Intuit and its brands and find us on social.

ⁱ Canadian ICT Sector Profile 2019 https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ict-tic.nsf/eng/h_it07229.html

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