Tokyo emerges as a top market for global tech talent
Colliers, an investment management and professional services firm, studied more than 200 global markets, drawing on job posts, access to venture capital (VC) and the available talent pool to score and rank global and regional tech markets, culminating in its report Global Tech Markets: Top Talent Locations 2025.
In the global rankings, Tokyo placed 10th, behind Dublin and ahead of Washington. In the Asia-Pacific rankings, it took third behind Beijing and Bengaluru.
'Global technology talent markets have evolved rapidly over the past five years. Few events have disrupted the markets faster than the introduction of generative AI models,' the report said, noting that as businesses raced to implement artificial intelligence, demand for related skills had created 'unprecedented competition for key roles in data science and cybersecurity.'
While calls for traditional IT jobs have fallen in recent years, demand for AI expertise has ballooned, with data scientists and cybersecurity professionals in particular being sought after. Talent with such skills are in high demand globally.
Tokyo, which has been pushing to develop startup hub ecosystems across the country and attract highly skilled talent, earned an 'above-average VC funding score.' According to the report, the Japanese capital is also a leading choice in the Asia-Pacific region for startups.
With the race for tech talent intensifying, companies are seeking to invest more in regions that offer 'more abundant and affordable tech talent,' the report said.
In Japan, the weak yen against the dollar translates to lower costs for overseas employers when it comes to recruiting from the nation.
Driven by a push for greater affordability, more tech companies are opening offices in the Asia-Pacific region and in Latin America in order to maintain their competitive edge, according to the report.
India remains the region's leading tech talent hub, with lower costs, developed infrastructure and highly skilled workers.
'Leading tech cities in India account for 69% of the total tech talent in the Asia-Pacific region,' said Arpit Mehrotra of Colliers' India office.
Among the other trends mapped by the report, workers in the tech space are skewing younger, and there has been a greater recruiting focus on cities with young talent, including Jakarta, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
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