Canada Is Building More Rentals. Is the Talent Market Ready?
Canada’s housing market is not simply slowing down. Development activity is shifting.
Across several major markets, condominium construction has weakened as developers contend with difficult presales, high construction costs and financing challenges. At the same time, purpose built rental housing has become a much larger part of the development landscape.
According to the CMHC Fall 2026 Housing Supply Report, purpose built rental housing now represents approximately two thirds of apartment starts across Canada’s largest markets.
This shift has important implications for the professionals developing, leasing and managing these properties. Development companies need people who can identify viable projects in a selective market. Property management companies must prepare to operate the growing number of rental units moving through the construction pipeline.
Canada’s rental growth is becoming a talent story.
Development Activity Is Moving, Not Disappearing
The current market is creating very different conditions across Canada.
In Toronto, purpose built rental apartment starts increased by 82% during the first half of 2026. It was the only major housing category in the region to record growth.
Rental housing now represents 54% of starts in Ottawa and 69% of the units under construction. In Montréal, rental units represented 86% of housing starts during the first half of 2026. Vancouver has also experienced a significant shift, with rental apartments accounting for approximately 60% of starts.
Other markets have entered a different stage. Calgary and Edmonton are moving from periods of record construction into project delivery. Starts have slowed, but many projects launched during busier years are now reaching completion.
These regional differences matter for development companies. There is no single national strategy. Companies must determine which locations, asset classes and project structures remain viable.
For some developers, that means shifting proposed condominium projects toward rental. For others, it means expanding into affordable housing, mixed income developments or markets with stronger fundamentals. Some organizations are concentrating on delivering existing projects while becoming more selective about new acquisitions and launches.
This environment changes what employers need from development professionals.
The Development Skills Becoming More Valuable
During periods of rapid growth, companies may prioritize acquisition, expansion and the ability to move multiple projects forward at once.
A selective market creates different demands.
Development professionals increasingly need to understand whether a project remains viable when financing, costs or consumer demand change. Employers need people who can adapt a strategy rather than simply execute the original plan.
Valuable areas of experience can include:
- Purpose built rental development
- Project feasibility and financial analysis
- Government financing and incentive programs
- Municipal approvals and zoning
- Construction and cost management
- Project repositioning
- Affordable and mixed income housing
- Market analysis
- Stakeholder and community engagement
The ability to work across multiple stages of development may also become more important. Employers may place greater value on professionals who understand acquisition, approvals, financing, construction and eventual operations.
This does not necessarily mean development teams will grow quickly. It means companies may become more selective about who they hire and the experience they require.
New Construction Creates Long Term Operational Demand
A completed rental building does not represent the end of a development project. It represents the beginning of an operating asset.
As more rental projects reach completion, companies need people to lease, manage, maintain and financially oversee those properties. That creates demand across the property management profession, including:
- Property managers
- Senior property managers
- Assistant property managers
- Property coordinators and administrators
- Leasing managers and leasing professionals
- Building operators
- Facilities managers
- Property accountants
- Regional operations leaders
- Directors and vice presidents of property management
The demand will not come from new positions alone. Existing teams may be asked to manage more buildings, units or square footage as companies expand their portfolios.
This creates important questions for employers.
Can current teams absorb additional properties without affecting service? Are companies developing enough people to move into senior positions? Do compensation structures reflect the size and complexity of the portfolios being managed?
As rental properties become larger and more sophisticated, property management roles may also require a broader mix of operational, financial and technical knowledge.
Property Management Is Becoming More Complex
Property management has always required professionals to balance the needs of owners, tenants, buildings and service providers. Growing rental portfolios increase that responsibility.
Modern property management teams may oversee:
- Operating and capital budgets
- Leasing and occupancy
- Resident experience
- Building technology
- Maintenance programs
- Vendor relationships
- Regulatory requirements
- Sustainability targets
- Financial reporting
- Staff performance
- Capital planning
New supply can also create greater competition for tenants, particularly in markets where several projects reach completion at the same time. That places more emphasis on leasing strategy, resident experience and operational performance.
In Calgary, for example, CMHC reports that purpose built rental starts fell by more than 30% during the first half of 2026 while apartment completions increased by approximately 32%. Developers have responded to softer leasing conditions with incentives, unchanged rents and project adjustments.
This shows why the talent requirements extend beyond increasing headcount. Employers need professionals who can operate effectively when market conditions become more competitive.
Development and Property Management Must Work Together Earlier
The shift toward long term rental ownership also creates a stronger connection between development decisions and property operations.
Choices made during planning, design and construction can affect:
- Maintenance requirements
- Operating costs
- Staffing needs
- Building technology
- Leasing potential
- Resident satisfaction
- Long term asset performance
Bringing property management and building operations professionals into the development process earlier can help companies identify these issues before a building opens.
Development professionals understand how to bring a project to completion. Property management teams understand what happens after residents move in. Rental projects benefit when those perspectives are connected.
This may increase the value of professionals who can work across development, asset management and property operations.
Is Compensation Keeping Pace With Responsibility?
DMC Recruitment’s 2026 Real Estate Development and Property Management Salary Survey gathered responses from more than 800 professionals across Canada.
The results showed that professionals generally liked their work more than they liked their compensation. Satisfaction with job responsibilities averaged 7.7 out of 10, compared with 6.6 out of 10 for compensation.
When respondents were asked what could cause them to leave their current position:
- 43% selected compensation
- 37% selected earning potential
- 27% selected a lack of career progression
- 24% selected leadership
- 22% selected work life balance
Only 19% said they planned to change roles during the following 12 months. However, another 36% were unsure.
These findings suggested that many teams were stable, but employers could not assume every employee was committed to staying.
The continued growth of rental portfolios adds another factor. Responsibilities may expand even when job titles remain unchanged. A property manager may oversee additional units. A building operator may become responsible for more complex systems. A development manager may be asked to reposition projects or navigate new financing programs.
The question is whether compensation, staffing and career opportunities are changing with the work.
Help Shape Our Next Salary Survey
DMC Recruitment will soon launch its next Real Estate Development and Property Management Salary Survey.
This year, we want to examine how the shift toward rental housing is affecting careers across both sides of the industry.
Potential topics include:
- Whether compensation reflects growing responsibilities
- How property portfolios and workloads are changing
- Which development skills are becoming more valuable
- Where employers face the greatest staffing challenges
- Whether professionals have clear opportunities for advancement
- How confident professionals feel about the industry and their careers
- Which benefits matter most in the current market
Which of these topics would you most like to see included?
- Compensation compared with responsibility
- Portfolio size and workload
- Skills employers value most
- Staffing shortages
- Career progression
- Industry confidence
If there is another question you want answered, we want to hear it.
The real estate market is changing, but the need for experienced people has not disappeared. It is shifting between markets, projects and stages of the property lifecycle.
Understanding that shift will help employers build stronger teams and help professionals make better career decisions.
