Searches for companies hiring women in Canada usually turn up the same handful of large banks and tech firms. What those employers share is not a slogan but a set of repeatable moves: they recruit through specific women's networks, they fund returnships, and they know exactly which compliance rules and subsidies apply to them. This guide shows HR managers, recruiters and founders how to put the same moves to work at a company of any size.
Quick takeaways
- Bay Street banks such as BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank and TD have sponsored a returnship for women re-entering finance through Women in Capital Markets. The model works for smaller firms too.
- Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must post pay (or a range no wider than $50,000), disclose AI screening, and drop "Canadian experience" requirements in public job ads.
- The Federal Contractors Program applies once your company has 100 or more employees in Canada and wins a federal goods or services contract of $1 million or more, including taxes.
- Students in STEM programs can come with a wage subsidy of 50 percent of wages up to $5,000 through the Student Work Placement Program, and some delivery partners still pay more for women in STEM.
What Canadian Employers Known for Hiring Women Actually Do
You do not need a Fortune 500 budget to copy the practices of employers with a track record here. Most of what works is public and well documented.
Returnships for women with career gaps
Women in Capital Markets (WCM) runs Return to Bay Street, a returnship that brings women with prior finance experience back after a leave. When WCM opened its 2022 cohort, the sponsoring employers included BMO Capital Markets, BMO Wealth Management, CIBC, Mackenzie Investments, Manulife, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets, TD Securities and TD Wealth. IBM Canada has also hired returning software developers into its Toronto lab through a returnship model. For a 40-person company, the takeaway is that a paid, time-limited placement with a mentor de-risks hiring someone with a five or ten year gap.
Public commitments with measurable targets
Several sector-wide commitments give employers a framework and a peer group:
- The 50-30 Challenge, run by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, asks participating organizations to work toward gender parity (50 percent) on boards and in senior management.
- Engineers Canada's 30 by 30 goal aims for women to make up 30 percent of newly licensed engineers by 2030, and many provincial engineering regulators publish employer resources under it.
- The Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity, led by Electricity Human Resources Canada, is signed by utilities and electricity-sector employers committing to recruit and retain more women.
Recognition lists you can benchmark against
Mediacorp's annual Canada's Best Diversity Employers list, part of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, publishes the reasons each winner was selected. Reading the write-ups for employers in your sector is a fast way to see which benefits, leave policies and recruitment partnerships competitors are already offering women candidates.
Where to Source Women Candidates, Sector by Sector
Targeted channels bring candidates you are not already seeing. The right partners depend on the roles you fill.
Skilled trades and construction
- Women Building Futures (Edmonton) trains women for construction, maintenance and energy roles and works with hiring employers.
- Build a Dream (Ontario) connects young women with trades, tech and first-responder careers through events and employer partnerships.
- The Office to Advance Women Apprentices works with Atlantic Canadian employers to place women apprentices and helps them apply for apprenticeship hiring grants.
- The Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC) has chapters across the country and a member network you can reach with openings.
Technology and STEM
- The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) in British Columbia runs mentoring and employer programs.
- Canada Learning Code (formerly Ladies Learning Code) runs coding programs and has employer partners.
- Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) serves women in telecom, media and tech.
Finance and professional services
WCM is the obvious starting point for capital markets, asset management and banking. For accounting and law, provincial CPA bodies and law societies run women's networks and equity committees that circulate job postings to members.
Newcomer women
Settlement and bridging organizations work with internationally trained women who often have more experience than their Canadian resume shows:
- TRIEC (Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council) runs a mentoring partnership that pairs employer staff with skilled newcomers.
- ACCES Employment (Greater Toronto Area) runs sector-specific bridging programs and employer hiring events.
- MOSAIC (Metro Vancouver) offers employer recruitment services and newcomer job-readiness programs.
A Canada-focused job board for women
Alongside the networks above, a niche board puts your posting in front of women already looking for an employer like yours. WomenAtWork.ca is the Canada-focused option here, built for women seeking employment and career advancement across the country.
Writing a Job Posting That Meets 2026 Rules
The job ad is your first screen. In two provinces it is also a compliance document.
Ontario rules in force since January 1, 2026
Changes to Ontario's Employment Standards Act apply to publicly advertised job postings from employers with 25 or more employees on the day the job is posted. Each posting must:
- State the expected pay or a pay range no wider than $50,000 a year. Roles paying more than $200,000 at the top of the range are exempt from this part.
- Disclose whether artificial intelligence is used to screen, assess or select applicants.
- Say whether the posting is for an existing vacancy.
- Leave out any requirement for Canadian work experience, in the posting or the application form.
You must also tell interviewed candidates whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview, and keep records of postings. The Canadian experience ban matters directly for newcomer women, who are often screened out on that line alone.
British Columbia and other provinces
B.C.'s Pay Transparency Act has required an expected pay or pay range in publicly advertised postings since November 1, 2023. Several Atlantic provinces have passed similar laws. If you hire across provinces, write every posting to the strictest rule you are subject to.
Requirements, flexibility and wording
Split the requirements into what the person needs on day one and what they can learn in six months. State the actual schedule: "four 10-hour shifts, Monday to Thursday" or "two office days per week in Mississauga" tells a candidate far more than "flexible work environment".
Once the posting is ready, you can publish it and see current pricing on the WomenAtWork.ca employers page.
Screening, Interviewing and Tracking Results
Read career gaps the way a returnship would
Returnship programs treat a gap as context, not a defect. Ask what the candidate did most recently that relates to the role, including volunteer work, courses, or family business work, then assess the skills against the role. A short paid trial project or a skills test for trades and technical roles gives you better evidence than resume continuity.
Questions to drop from every interview
Human rights codes across Canada list sex, pregnancy and family status as protected grounds. Remove questions about marriage, children, pregnancy plans and childcare. If a role truly requires weekend availability, ask every candidate that same question in the same words.
Track what each channel produces
For each opening, record applicants, interviews, offers and hires by source. After two or three hiring cycles you will know whether a trades association referral, a settlement agency event or a niche board produces hires, not just applications. Then check 12-month retention and first promotions by gender, because a recruiting win that ends in a resignation is not a win.
Compliance Basics: Employment Equity, the FCP and Pay Equity
This is general information, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, size and province.
Employment Equity Act
The federal Employment Equity Act covers federally regulated private-sector employers with 100 or more employees, such as banks, airlines, telecom companies and interprovincial trucking and rail. Women are one of the designated groups. Covered employers collect workforce data, analyze representation, set goals and file annual reports.
Federal Contractors Program
The FCP applies to provincially regulated organizations that have a combined Canadian workforce of 100 or more permanent full-time or permanent part-time employees and receive an initial federal goods or services contract worth $1 million or more, including taxes. To bid, you sign an Agreement to Implement Employment Equity (form LAB1215), and the obligation continues after the contract ends. Contractors must collect workforce data, complete a workforce analysis, set short and long-term numerical goals, and make reasonable progress toward a representative workforce. The FCP does not apply to federally regulated private-sector employers, which fall under the Employment Equity Act instead, or to contracts for construction, legal services, or the purchase or lease of real property. Non-compliant organizations go on the Limited Eligibility to Bid list.
Pay equity
The federal Pay Equity Act applies to federally regulated employers with 10 or more employees and requires a proactive pay equity plan. Ontario and Quebec have their own pay equity laws for provincially regulated employers. These laws require equal pay for work of equal value, not just identical jobs.
Hiring Subsidies and Grants That Lower the Cost of a Hire
Program terms change often. The figures below reflect published terms as of fall 2026; confirm with the program before you budget around them.
| Program | Who it helps you hire | What it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Summer Jobs | Youth aged 15 to 30, summer roles of 6 to 16 weeks | Up to 50 percent of provincial minimum wage for private employers with 50 or fewer full-time staff; up to 100 percent for not-for-profits |
| Student Work Placement Program | Post-secondary students on work-integrated learning placements | 50 percent of wages up to $5,000 per placement; some delivery partners still offer 70 percent up to $7,000 for women in STEM, others have dropped the higher rate |
| Build Canada Apprenticeship Service | First-year apprentices in eligible Red Seal trades | Up to $10,000 per apprentice for small and medium employers, launching fall 2026 |
| Ontario Job Grant | New hires and existing staff needing third-party training | Up to $10,000 per trainee; employers under 100 staff pay at least one-sixth; up to $15,000 with no employer share for previously unemployed new hires |
| B.C. Employer Training Grant | New or existing staff needing training | Up to 80 percent of eligible training costs in its main streams |
Apprenticeship incentives in more detail
The previous federal Apprenticeship Service paid employers with 499 or fewer staff $5,000 per first-year apprentice, doubled to $10,000 when the apprentice was from an equity-deserving group, which included women. Its replacement, the Build Canada Apprenticeship Service, was announced in September 2026 as part of the federal Team Canada Strong initiative. A separate $5,000 Red Seal Completion Bonus goes to workers, not employers, but it helps retain apprentices through certification.
Student placements in STEM
SWPP money flows through delivery partners such as Magnet, BioTalent Canada, TECHNATION, ECO Canada and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce's Talent Opportunities Program, not directly from the government. Each sets its own intake windows and rates, so compare two or three before you post a co-op role.
International hiring
If a role cannot be filled in Canada, the Labour Market Impact Assessment process may apply, and it includes domestic advertising requirements. Have a licensed immigration professional handle any application.
FAQ
Does the Federal Contractors Program apply to my company?
Only if you are provincially regulated, have 100 or more permanent full-time or part-time employees in Canada, and receive a federal goods or services contract of $1 million or more, including taxes. Construction, legal services and real property contracts are excluded.
Do I have to include a salary range in job postings?
In Ontario, yes, if you have 25 or more employees and the posting is public; the range cannot be wider than $50,000. In B.C., yes, for publicly advertised postings. Check the rules in each province where you post.
Can we run a hiring program only for women?
Most Canadian human rights laws permit special programs designed to address disadvantage, such as a women-only apprenticeship cohort. The conditions vary by province, so get advice before you advertise one.
Which subsidy fits a first-year woman apprentice?
The Build Canada Apprenticeship Service, opening in fall 2026, offers small and medium employers up to $10,000 per first-year apprentice in eligible Red Seal trades. Groups such as the Office to Advance Women Apprentices can help you apply.
Next Steps for Your Hiring Team
Take the next role you plan to open. Check it against the 2026 posting rules, contact one sector network and one settlement agency, and see whether a subsidy covers part of the cost.
Looking to hire? Visit the WomenAtWork.ca employers page to see pricing, post a role, and reach qualified candidates from our network.