Hiring your workforce in Canada
Expanding your business into Canada means understanding the process hiring in Canada and recruiting talented professionals in the country. Here we explain the best way to carry this out.
Hire and pay talents
with Horizons in
180+ countries
Hiring and Talent Acquisition in Canada
Recruitment and hiring in Canada
Business expansion and the act of hiring in Canada have numerous benefits. The fact that the overwhelming majority of Canadians live close to the U.S. border means that they provide a close consumer market for businesses expanding from the United States. Favorable corporate tax rates (currently net 15 percent) make expansion into Canada even more appealing.
Business expansion into Canada means recruiting and onboarding staff there. Before rolling out your recruitment strategy in Canada, it is worth considering some of the unique aspects of Canadian business and employment culture.
These are affected by both federal/provincial differences, as well as a business culture which draws on French, British, and U.S. influences.
The Canadian job application process
Both employers and potential employees should consider the following elements of the process for hiring in Canada:
- Resumes. As in the United States, resumes are expected to be short. However, Canadian employers are not generally as strict on the ‘one-page rule’, and up to two pages is acceptable;
- Interviews. It is relatively common for the process of hiring in Canada to occur in several stages, with the first stage to occur by telephone/skype/zoom;
- Tests. Many larger business in Canada carry out significant psychometric and aptitude testing. Potential applicants will often be able to find out online whether this type of testing takes place at the company that they are applying to;
- Dress. Applicants should generally turn up to the interview in a suit or other business dress. Even if the workplace has a casual dress code – it is best not to be presumptuous for the interview;
- Language. Remember that both French and English are official languages in Canada. Interviewers and applicants should be aware of which language the interview is expected to be conducted in (in Quebec especially, applicants should be aware of the possibility of employers expecting an interview in French).
Business models for recruiting and hiring in Canada
Establishing your business and hiring in Canada means thinking about the best way of setting up your business for recruiting and onboarding staff in the country. Unlike the United States, where limited liability corporations can only be set up under state law, in Canada corporations can be established under either federal or provincial law.
If you intend to operate in only one province, it may be appropriate to incorporate in that province only. Also, if you intend to operate across multiple states it may make sense to incorporate under federal law.
Setting up a corporation, however, is not the only way of expanding into Canada. In fact, it often faster and more cost-effective to engage a Global ‘Professional Employer Organization’ or ‘PEO’. An additional advantage of engaging a Global PEO is that it ensures that your process for recruitment and hiring in Canada is compliant with all applicable tax and compliance laws.
Compliance for Canadian employers
- Basic employee entitlements. Key entitlements such as minimum wage, paid vacation, sick leave and Canadian employee benefits differ by province. For example, Ontario has two weeks minimum annual vacation leave and a minimum wage of $11.60 per hour;
- Anti-discrimination legislation. Canada has a significant level of equal protection legislation. Much of this is applied at the federal level such as the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA): This prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, age and gender, among other factors. The Employment Equity Act (EEA) protect the rights of four “designated groups”:This covers women, those with disabilities, Aboriginal people, and other ethnic minority groups.
Read more at The Complete Guide to Canada Labor Law.
