The rankings reflect CBRE's assessment of each market's competitive appeal based on 13 variously weighted indicators that collectively present a picture of employment trends and other factors helping to attract and sustain a tech labour force.

Japanese survey respondents are the least enthusiastic about tourism, but they voice the lowest level of complaints. Respondents in the United States also express below-average faith that tourism has a positive economic or cultural impact.

Punditry emanating from the United States characterizes Toronto as an outlier on the short list or overlooks it entirely.

Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal and Waterloo are deemed to provide the best dynamic for nurturing the workforce and fostering innovation in cost-competitive space.

The rankings include Toronto among a penultimate tier of 10 contenders pushing up against the alpha "big seven" of London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul.

A new report identifies Hamilton as an emerging mid-sized anchor city, with a role similar to Milwaukee, Wisconsin's status in the Chicago megalopolis.