Archive - Software Engineers and Designers (NOC 2173)

Published: 2 October 2014
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If you are interested in working as a Software Engineer or Designer in Canada, you will be pleased to know that jobseekers for your occupation in Canada are in high demand.

You can use this overview of the Canadian employment prospects in your field to start planning your immigration and settlement in Canada.

software-engineer

Important statistics for this occupation:

  • Growth in this industry is due to the fact that computer technology is now an integral part of the economy, which in general is increasingly knowledge-based.
  • About 32% of the positions were held by immigrants in 2006, a much higher proportion than in all occupations (12%).
  • This proportion could increase in future years as a result of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (the professional order for engineers), which is currently attempting to make it easier for individuals who hold foreign degrees to apply to the Ordre before arriving in Canada, thereby speeding up the processing of their applications.
  • The labour market situation for computer engineering and computer building jobseekers is expected to remain excellent as a result of increased demand as well as a decline in the number of graduates in this field.
  • According to 2006 census data, about 53% of software engineers and designers worked in professional, scientific, and technical services, mainly in computer systems design (41%), and 20% in the manufacturing sector, primarily in computer and electronic product manufacturing (10%).
  • Significant numbers also worked for software publishers (9%) and wholesale trade (5%).
  • The median yearly income for Software Engineers and Designers is approximately $67,000 in Canada, with high incomes reported in the range of $94,000.

Duties for Software Engineers and Designers

Software engineers and designers research, design, evaluate, integrate and maintain software applications, technical environments, operating systems, embedded software, information warehouses and telecommunications software. They are employed in information technology consulting firms, information technology research and development firms, and information technology units throughout the private and public sectors, or they may be self-employed.

Description of Main Duties

Software engineers and designers perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Collect and document users' requirements and develop logical and physical specifications
  • Research, evaluate and synthesize technical information to design, develop, and test computer-based systems
  • Develop data, process, and network models to optimize architecture and to evaluate the performance and reliability of designs
  • Plan, design, and co-ordinate the development, installation, integration, and operation of computer-based systems
  • Assess, test, troubleshoot, document, upgrade, and develop maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments, and applications software
  • May lead and co-ordinate teams of information systems professionals in the development of software and integrated information systems, process control software, and other embedded software control systems.

Example job titles for Software Engineers and Designers:

  • Application architect
  • Computer software engineer
  • Embedded software engineer
  • Software architect
  • Software design engineer
  • Software design verification engineer
  • Software designer
  • Software testing engineer
  • Systems integration engineer – software
  • Technical architect – software
  • Telecommunications software engineer

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