Ottawa’s technology companies numbered 1,688 in December 2004—an increase of more than six per cent—and employment increased by 600 people, to 67,800, over the last six months. These were just some of the results from the most recent semi-annual technology survey conducted by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI).
OCRI president and CEO Jeffrey Dale thinks that the buzz has returned to Ottawa’s technology sector and predicts that technology will again be the region’s number one employer within the next three years. “Despite the economic downturn, the number of technology companies has increased by more than 65 per cent in the last five years. These talented entrepreneurs will continue to generate new sources of wealth for the region, and inspire others to join them, helping the technology sector regain its role as the number one employer in the region by 2008,” Dale said.
The semi-annual survey, completed each December and June, reports on the total number of employees working in Ottawa’s technology sector. More than 80 per cent of the technology companies responded to the survey.
