Canada wants to woo 'digital nomads.' Can we compete?

Digital nomads have been taking their talents to the places they want to be.

They are living and working in various cities around the globe — in some cases lured to specific locales by dedicated programs that make it easier for them to do so.

Canada is making its own pitch for these workers to try out life in this country, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser this week announcing a targeted strategy to woo them.

This strategy, part of broader effort to attract tech talent, aims to promote the fact that people working remotely for a foreign employer can spend up to six months in Canada — and extend their time here, if they get a job offer from a domestic employer while in the country. 

Yet the country is up against many other jurisdictions that are vying for the same highly empowered — and often well paid — workers in tech and other in-demand fields. 

"People and capital, and frankly companies as well, are much more mobile than they ever were before," Fraser said in an interview.

And enticing people to check out the possibility of living in Canada is just part of a process of getting some of them to stay and build a life here permanently.

Trevor Neiman, the director of digital economy for the Business Council of Canada (BCC), said the competition for talent is fierce — and Canada needs to keep pace with what other countries are offering.

"We need to constantly remind ourselves that newcomers have a choice in where they start their new lives," said Neiman, whose advocacy group's members include 170 business leaders from a range of industries.

Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom concurs "there is a global war for talent," and said via email that Canada appears to be on the right track.

Bloom said these workers tend to be highly educated, with many working in the tech and finance industries. And he said they are being sought out by "growth-focused governments."

Canada, which is now home to 40 million people, is growing rapidly and the federal government aims for that continue.

The flow of people is critically important to Canadian employers as well.

Business Council of Canada members tell Neiman that it's a major challenge accessing highly skilled and specialized talent in the country.