Features Working Remotely
Kelowna, B.C., named remote work capital of Canada in LinkedIn study

Kelowna, B.C., already famous for its world-class wines, stunning natural scenery and plethora of year-round outdoor activities, has another claim to fame: It’s the remote work capital of Canada.

According to a new study by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph research team, the appetite for remote work in Kelowna is the highest among large urban centres in the country: Nearly one-half (49.4%) of job applications from Kelowna residents are for remote positions, it said.

That’s followed closely by Victoria (45.6%) and Saskatoon (41.8%). Both Kelowna and Victoria saw a big influx of migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, ranking in the top 10 between 2020 and 2021.

On the flip side, workers in Toronto were least likely to apply for remote positions, the study found. But it found Toronto did top the nation in jobseekers (31.7%) who were most likely to apply for hybrid work positions.

It looked at an analysis of more than 12 million remote job applications on LinkedIn from May 2022 to May 2023.

Infographic: Top cities for remote jobseekers

Top small metros for remote work

For smaller cities, these are the percentage of job applications that were for remote positions:

Moncton, N.B.: 47.7%

St. John’s, N.L.: 38.7%

St. Catherines, Ont.: 38.4%

Kingston, Ont.: 36.6%

Sherbrooke, Que.: 35.3%

Abbotsford-Mission, B.C.: 34.7%

Barrie, Ont.: 33.6%

Sudbury, Ont: 33.4%

Guelph, Ont.: 32.4%

Windsor, Ont: 31.8%

Top big metro areas for hybrid work

The top large areas for hybrid work applications are:

Toronto: 31.7%

Montreal: 31.1%

Quebec City: 30%

Oshawa, Ont.: 29%

Hamilton: 27.8%

Vancouver: 27%

Kitchener, Ont.: 25.7%

Ottawa: 25%

London, Ont.: 22.5%

Halifax: 21.5%