Work from anywhere: High-paying remote jobs are on the rise

By Luca Tatulli on March 25, 2022
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Six-figure jobs are growing fast in three Canadian cities—but remote work tops them all

That’s according to an analysis by Ladders, an American career website that serves professionals seeking six-figure jobs.

Its researchers analyzed five million job postings from January 2020 to February 2022, and they found that high-paying remote jobs ballooned by an astonishing 452%. The total number of remote jobs grew from 64,061 to 354,083.

Canadian cities with the fastest-growing professional opportunities

In addition to the spike in remote opportunities, Ladders found that smaller job markets have seen the swiftest increase in high-paying jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the 10 North American cities with the fastest-growing number of professional jobs, three Canadian cities made the top four. From 2020 to 2021, Saint John, N.B.; Quebec City; and Calgary saw high-paying work opportunities grow by about 185%, 180% and 167%, respectively. (They ranked behind only Rochester, M.N., which saw over 189% growth.) Below is the full chart ranking the cities based on job growth.

Cities with the fastest-growing number of professional jobs

Location	2020	2021	% Change
Remote	64,061	354,083	452.73%
Rochester, M.N.	852	2,461	188.85%
Saint John, N.B.	406	1,158	185.22%
Quebec City, Que.	747	2,095	180.46%
Calgary, Alta.	2,164	5,778	167.01%
Tri-Cities	467	1,239	165.31%
Peoria, Ill.	1,913	5,035	163.20%
Lafayette, La.	600	1,494	149.00%
Austin, Tex.	28,949	71,265	146.17%
Minot, N.D.	472	1,137	140.89%
Eugene, Ore.	1,062	2,556	140.68%

Source: Ladders

What do these numbers mean for Canadian professionals?

This data means that professional workers will have more opportunities to work for companies outside of their home cities, without necessarily relocating to larger urban centres. Meanwhile, companies in smaller cities can hire workers from all over, if moving is no longer a job requirement. Telecommuting with co-workers across borders may also become more common.

Only time will tell if high-paying remote work will continue to grow at this pace, but one thing remains certain: The last two years have changed, and will continue to change, how and where we work.

About Luca Tatulli

Luca Tatulli is the research assistant at MoneySense.ca. He fact-checks and provides research for our content, and he previously studied journalism at Centennial College.

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