Career Persistence of Underrepresented Technology Professionals in Secondary-City Labour Markets: Anchoring Conditions and Barriers in Nova Scotia

Abstract

Canada's digital economy grows unevenly, with secondary cities struggling to attract and retain skilled tech professionals, particularly from underrepresented groups. Yet existing research focuses predominantly on large urban markets, leaving career sustainability in smaller regional ecosystems largely underexplored. This thesis addresses that gap by examining career persistence among underrepresented technology professionals in Halifax, Nova Scotia — defined as the ability to establish, navigate, and sustain a career in place despite structural, organizational, and external constraints. Using an interpretivist, abductive design, the study draws on 13 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups with technology executives and HR leaders, analyzed through thematic analysis. Six interrelated themes spanning entry pathways, labour-market structure, workplace inclusion, organizational capability, economic sustainability, and individual strategies inform a multi-level model centered on anchoring mechanisms that reduce exit pressure. The study reframes persistence as a place-based phenomenon and offers practical insights for building more inclusive regional tech ecosystems.