Walmart announces new tech hub in Toronto with plans to hire more than 5,000 people
Toronto's reputation as a global hot spot for tech talent continues to grow, it seems, attracting such major players over the past few years alone as Infosys, Wayfair, Stripe, Tiktok, Netflix, Reddit, Pinterest and DoorDash, not to mention the constant expansion of offices for juggernauts including IBM, Amazon and Google.
The latest multinational giant to enter the ecosystem happens to be the largest retail corporation on Earth.
Yes, I'm talking about none other than Walmart, which announced today that it will be opening two massive new North American tech hubs: One in Atlanta, Georgia, the other right here in Toronto.
"Walmart Global Tech plans to make Toronto one of its larger hubs, with hundreds of new jobs over time," wrote the company in a release Tuesday morning, noting that Toronto was chosen strategically for its "growing tech presence, connection to Walmart and broad and diverse local talent."
"The expansion is part of Walmart Global Tech's plan to hire more than 5,000 associates globally this fiscal year."
The initial hiring phase for Toronto is expected to include 45 full-time roles in software development, technical program management and product management, but more opportunities are expected to be posted in the months ahead.
Toronto is one of our major new tech hubs, and we’re excited to add hundreds of new roles here over time, keeping local talent on Canadian soil. To learn more about the Toronto hub, check out the release here https://t.co/n4W23Cx8c4#TorontoJobs pic.twitter.com/p01xnSyTLA
— Walmart Global Tech (@Walmarttech) March 15, 2022
"Walmart has a strong presence in Toronto and the city is home to 26% of Canada's tech workforce. Each year, 25,000 students in the area graduate from STEM-related fields," said Walmart CTO and EVP Suresh Kuma on Tuesday.
"We plan to make Toronto one of our major Walmart Global Tech hubs, with plans to create several hundred new tech jobs in the next 12 months – all in support of keeping local talent on Canadian soil."
Interested parties can check out the Walmart Global Tech careers page, where there are currently more than 1,000 different job postings across the fast-growing division's 16 hubs.
"Walmart's decision to make Toronto the home of one of its larger tech hubs with hundreds of jobs to come is another vote of confidence in our city's thriving tech sector," said Toronto Mayor John Tory of the forthcoming facility.
"As Mayor, I am committed to supporting our technology sector and continuing to encourage companies to locate here and hire here. This is all part of our non-stop effort to ensure that Toronto comes back stronger than ever."
No word yet on where in the city Walmart plans to place its new tech hub, or when the doors will open. For now, like employees at most tech companies, teams are expected to "work virtually in the near-term," eventually transitioning to a hybrid model once a physical space is established in Toronto.
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