Job prospects Software Design Engineer in Ontario

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "software design engineer" in Ontario or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Ontario

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Good

The employment outlook will be good for Software engineers and designers (NOC 21231) in Ontario for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

What Types of Employers Are Out There?

Various industries, but the leading share employed in computer systems design and related services
Information and cultural industries, particularly software publishers
Finance and insurance companies, mainly banks

What are the Main Trends Affecting Employment?

The extensive use of advanced digital tools across all industries will continue to create job opportunities
However, the pace of job growth may be affected by recent restructuring in the technology sector

What Skills Do I Need to Succeed?

Knowledge of programming languages such as Java, Python, and Structured Query Language (SQL) are common in job postings
Experience with project management approaches such as Agile is also often required

What Other Information Will I Find Helpful?

In general, Bridging Programs are available to assist internationally trained professionals in various fields enter the labour market more quickly in the province.

Here are some key facts about Software engineers and designers in Ontario:

Approximately 57,900 people work in this occupation.
Software engineers and designers mainly work in the following sectors:
- Computer systems design services (NAICS 5415): 53%
- Monetary Authorities - central bank and securities, commodity contracts and other intermediation and related activities (NAICS 521, 522, 523): 9%
- Information and cultural industries (NAICS 51): 8%
79% of software engineers and designers work all year, while 21% work only part of the year, compared to 63% and 37% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 47 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
9% of software engineers and designers are self-employed compared to an average of 15% for all occupations.
The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 81% compared to 52% for all occupations
- Women: 19% compared to 48% for all occupations
The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 9% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 7% compared to 25% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 9% compared to 22% for all occupations
- bachelor's degree: 52% compared to 24% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 32% compared to 13% for all occupations

Explore job prospects in Ontario by economic region.

Location	Job prospects
Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula Region	Good
Kingston–Pembroke Region	Good
Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie Region	Good
London Region	Good
Muskoka–Kawarthas Region	Good
Northeast Region	Good
Northwest Region	Undetermined
Ottawa Region	Good
Stratford–Bruce Peninsula Region	Good
Toronto Region	Good
Windsor-Sarnia Region	Good