Soft Skills for Tech Jobs in Canada: A Signal

By Raulin Cadet | Published Oct. 13, 2026 | Updated Oct. 13, 2026 | Topics: Canada, Technology, Employment, Job market, Tech job, Soft skills

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

— Helen Keller

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In today’s post, my question is: what skills come up most often when employers describe who they want to hire for tech-related jobs in Canada? I use 1,450 postings collected so far that mention at least one soft skill.

 

As the graphic of this post shows, collaboration and teamwork come out on top (17.8%) among the soft skills mentioned in the postings collected. It is followed closely by communication (16.4%). Many tech roles require daily back-and-forth with other teams, a developer coordinating a feature should collaborate with the product manager. Indeed, collaboration and communication appear tied together here, as little collaboration happens without some form of communication.

 

Another insight revealed by the graphic: among the top five soft skills, four (collaboration, communication, leadership, and mentoring or coaching) describe how people relate to human relationships. Problem-solving is the exception: it is the only one that is not fundamentally about human relations, but closer to an analytical skill.

 

Is this emphasis on human relations what employers hiring for tech-related roles in Canada truly value, or just how job postings happen to be worded?

 

 

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