Key Industries / High-Tech / The Metro Vancouver Region’s High-tech Engine: Boosting the Economic Landscape

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Boosting the Economic Land​​scape​

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​​​Within the dynamic Metro Vancouver regional tech sphere, an exciting chapter of growth and evolution is being written.

Invest Vancouver’s High-tech report examines investment and labour trends in the regional tech sector, evaluates how the region compares on the qualities international firms prioritize when looking to expand globally, and highlights opportunities in the Metro Vancouver region in applied AI.

The Metro Vancouver region has a growing technology hub, driven by a robust innovation ecosystem and specialized tech talent. The potential integration of AI holds opportunity for sparking further innovation and economic growth. Nevertheless, challenges like talent shortages, escalating living costs, and fierce competition for investment could impede this growth.

To realize its full potential as a tech leader, the region must strengthen its brand, address pressing issues, and capitalize on opportunities such as applied AI. Strategic initiatives to promote a business-friendly environment and foster innovation are essential for the Metro Vancouver region to maintain its trajectory toward becoming a global tech powerhouse.

Full reportHigh Tech Sector Profile


The comprehensive report is split into three distinct but interconnected sections:

Section 1: The region’s emerging technology hub

provides a data-driven perspective of the High-tech sector.

Section 2: Location decisions and the regional technology sector

provides international tech investor perspectives of the Metro Vancouver region.

Section 3: AI as an economic development opportunity

discusses the growing applied AI industry in the region and its potential to drive economic growth.

Section 1: The region’s emerging technology hub​​​​​

Section 1 of the report utilizes three different data-driven perspectives to describe the emerging technology hub in the region.

The research found that employment in the Metro Vancouver region’s High-tech sector grew at more than twice the rate of the broader regional economy from 2009 to 2021 and showed that capital is flowing into tech firms in the Metro Vancouver region that are developing solutions across a range of industries.

Tech firms in the region are spurring innovation and investment, with the region’s current high concentration of tech talent underpinning the sector’s success. However, to sustain growth and global competitiveness, we must address pressing challenges such as ensuring the supply of tech talent keeps pace with industry needs and addressing the rising cost of living, while also optimizing opportunities.

Section 1Section 1 summary

Section 2: Location decisions and the regional technology sector

Section 2 of the report investigates the region’s technology sector through the lens of multinational enterprises navigating decisions to either expand or establish operations in new locales.

Talent, clusters of companies, and a favourable business climate are key deciding factors for expanding international tech firms. The Metro Vancouver region is relatively strong in these areas multinationals prioritize, yet the international perception has not kept pace with the sector’s rapid growth

Section 2Section 2 summary

​Section 3: AI as an economic development opportunity

Section 3 discusses how the rapid adoption of AI will bring numerous risks and opportunities. One clear risk is missing out on potential productivity gains AI will deliver.

Firms that embrace AI swiftly stand to gain a competitive edge, and effectively integrating AI solutions can increase efficiency and boost Canada’s productivity.

The integration of AI within the region's well-established industries such as healthcare, construction, and resource extraction presents an economic development opportunity that can capture the interest of international investors.

Section 3Section 3 summary

​​​​​​​About Invest Vancouver

Invest Vancouver is the Metro Vancouver region’s economic development service, created to advance broadly shared prosperity for all residents of the region. The mission of Invest Vancouver is to position the region for success in a rapidly evolving global economy.


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Invest Vancouver acknowledges that the region’s residents live, work, and learn on the shared territories of many Indigenous Peoples, including 10 local First Nations: q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), máthxwi (Matsqui), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), se’mya’me (Semiahmoo), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).

Invest Vancouver respects the diverse and distinct histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, which collectively enrich our lives and the region.

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