Software Developer Hiring: A Turning Point?

By Raulin Cadet | Published Sept. 22, 2026 | Updated Sept. 22, 2026 | Topics: Canada, Technology, Employment, Job market, Tech job, Software developer

In a previous post, I examined which technical skills were associated with the highest posted salaries in the Canadian job postings collected for Tech Job Pulse. This week, I turn to a different question, using an external and official source rather than my own data. Is the hiring slowdown that has weighed on Canada's software developer job market since 2022 starting to ease? 

The graphic of this post draws on Statistics Canada's Job Vacancy and Wage Survey for the occupation of software developers and programmers, from 2015 to the second quarter of 2026. Vacancies increased after the pandemic, peaked in 2022, and have been declining since. The decline was not a straight line. A few quarters along the way ticked up before falling again. However, the second quarter of 2026 brought the largest increase since the 2022 peak. Even so, vacancies in software developer remain below their pre-pandemic average. However, regarding salaries, they tend to increase while vacancies were dropping. However, after   some decrease, the salaries have just turned up again, in the same quarter as vacancies (2026 quarter 2). 

Are employers once again competing for software developers? I would rather wait for the next few quarters before calling this a trend.