The Hard Tech Archetype comprises the manufacturing and wholesaling of technological products, such as computers and peripheral equipment, communications equipment, semiconductors, and other electronic components. Wholesaling jobs accounted for over 30,000 of the 51,000 jobs in this Archetype in 2016.
In contrast to fast-growth Soft Tech, employment in Hard Tech in the GGH decreased significantly between 2006 and 2016. This decline was experienced across all the industries that make up the Hard Tech Archetype. In total, the Archetype saw a net loss of over 21,000 jobs between 2006 and 2016, a decline of almost 30 percent.
Table 13: Hard Tech Archetype Employment, GGH, 2006 and 2016
| 2006 | 2016 | Change | % Change |
Hard Tech | 72,810 | 51,225 | -21,585 | -29.6 |
Archetypes total | 1,481,595 | 1,459,825 | -21,770 | -1.5 |
Total GGH core employment | 2,300,015 | 2,375,465 | 75,450 | 3.3 |
Total GGH employment | 3,437,935 | 3,710,915 | 272,980 | 7.9 |
Employment in Hard Tech is highly clustered, primarily in suburban areas, with the dominant concentration in the Markham SKID. Other clusters appear in the Airport and Meadowvale SKIDs, with a smaller concentration in Downtown Toronto. Hard Tech jobs are also found in the Tor-York West megazone, Burlington, Don Mills, and Guelph.
The geography of employment change is dominated by job loss - especially in the Markham SKID, and in Don Mills, Eastern Scarborough, and the Waterloo SKID. There are some areas of job growth, on the edge of the Airport SKID, in the Meadowvale SKID, and in Burlington and north Guelph. (See Maps 15 and 16.)
Hard Tech industries are highly integrated in the global market, and so face intense competitive pressure, which may have contributed to the loss in jobs. As well, the wholesaling sector is being disrupted by e-commerce (see Other Wholesaling, below).
Map 15: Hard Tech Archetype Employment, GGH, 2016
Map 16: Hard Tech Archetype Employment Change, GGH, 2006-2016