WomenAtWork.ca is the Canadian job board built specifically for women in the workforce, whether you are searching for your next role or trying to hire one. From federally regulated postings to return-to-work programs and trades and STEM pipelines, the platform brings opportunity and obligation together in one place. This guide covers what WomenAtWork.ca does, who it serves, and how to use it well.
Quick Takeaways
- WomenAtWork.ca is a Canada-wide job board dedicated to connecting women with employers, whatever the industry or career stage.
- Job seekers can browse openings, filter by province and role type, and build a profile that employers can search directly.
- Employers use the platform to reach candidates for federally regulated postings and to support Employment Equity Act goals.
- The site supports return-to-work candidates and highlights trades and STEM roles where women remain underrepresented.
- Provincial signposts help both sides find opportunities and requirements specific to their region.
What Is WomenAtWork.ca?
WomenAtWork.ca is a job board built around a single question: how do we make it easier for women in Canada to find good work, and easier for employers to find them? Most general job boards treat every posting and every candidate the same way. WomenAtWork.ca takes a narrower, more deliberate approach. Postings are organized so that job seekers can filter for roles that fit their stage of career, whether that means an entry-level position, a senior leadership search, or a return-to-work opportunity after time away from paid employment.
The site also gives employers tools that a general-purpose job board does not. That includes visibility into federally regulated roles, where employment equity reporting is a legal requirement, and curated placement for trades and STEM postings aimed at closing long-standing participation gaps.
Built for Two Audiences
Because the brand name doubles as a description, people sometimes assume WomenAtWork.ca is only for job seekers. It is not. The platform serves two distinct audiences with two distinct sets of needs.
Job seekers come to the site to find roles, understand what a company offers, and apply directly. Employers come to the site to post openings, review candidate profiles, and, in many cases, document their outreach efforts as part of federal compliance work. Both groups matter to how the platform is built, and both get a dedicated entry point.
Who WomenAtWork.ca Serves
Job Seekers Across Career Stages
Job seekers on WomenAtWork.ca range from recent graduates applying for their first professional role to experienced managers looking for a lateral move or a step up. The listings span sectors including finance, health care, technology, government, manufacturing, and skilled trades. Filters let you narrow by province, industry, employment type (full-time, part-time, contract), and experience level, so you are not scrolling through postings that do not match where you are in your career.
Job seekers who want to browse current postings and set up a profile can start at WomenAtWork.ca for job seekers. A complete profile, with your work history, skills, and preferred locations, is what makes you discoverable to employers who are actively searching the platform rather than only posting and waiting.
Employers Building Inclusive Teams
On the employer side, WomenAtWork.ca is used by HR teams and hiring managers who want a sourcing channel focused on women candidates, whether that is part of a broader diversity strategy, a response to a skills shortage in a male-dominated field, or a federal compliance obligation. Employers can post roles, search the candidate database, and track applicant activity from a dashboard built for recruiting teams rather than individual hiring managers doing it alone.
Employers ready to review pricing or post a role can start at WomenAtWork.ca for employers.
Federally Regulated Employers and the Employment Equity Act
What the Act Requires
Employers in federally regulated industries, including banking, telecommunications, interprovincial transportation, and Crown corporations, along with federal contractors bidding on contracts above a certain value, fall under the Employment Equity Act. The Act requires these employers to identify and remove barriers to employment for four designated groups, one of which is women, and to report on workforce representation relative to labour market availability.
This is not a suggestion. It is a legal framework administered federally, and it shapes how covered employers approach recruiting, job posting, and outreach. If your organization is federally regulated or holds a federal contract, your recruiting strategy likely already accounts for this. If you are not sure whether your organization is covered, your legal or compliance team is the right place to confirm that, since this article does not offer legal advice.
How the Platform Fits Into Compliance and Sourcing
WomenAtWork.ca does not replace legal counsel or a compliance program, but it does give federally regulated employers and contractors a sourcing channel that is visibly and specifically aimed at women candidates. Posting here, and documenting that outreach, is one concrete step employers can point to as part of a broader equity strategy. It also simply works as a recruiting tool: the candidate pool is self-selected toward the audience these employers are trying to reach, which tends to produce more relevant applicants than a general posting board.
Return-to-Work Roles and Career Re-Entry
Common Barriers to Returning
Women who step away from paid work, often for caregiving, health, or family reasons, frequently find that standard job postings and standard applicant tracking systems are not built with a career gap in mind. A resume with a multi-year break can get filtered out automatically, regardless of the skills and experience behind it. Confidence is often a factor too: after time away, it can be hard to know how to describe a gap, or whether to apply at all for a role that assumes continuous recent experience.
How WomenAtWork.ca Supports Re-Entry
WomenAtWork.ca includes postings specifically flagged as return-to-work friendly, meaning the employer has signaled openness to candidates with a career break, and in some cases has structured the role around a phased return, mentorship, or refresher training. For job seekers, filtering for these postings surfaces employers who have already decided that a gap in your resume is not a disqualifier. For employers, offering a structured return-to-work path is also a practical way to access experienced talent that many competitors overlook simply because of a resume gap.
Trades and STEM Pipelines
Skilled Trades Postings
Skilled trades in Canada, including electrical, plumbing, heavy equipment operation, and construction, continue to see women make up a small share of the workforce, even as many trades face labour shortages. WomenAtWork.ca lists apprenticeship openings, journeyperson roles, and trades employer profiles that describe what onboarding and mentorship look like for women entering these fields. For job seekers considering a trade for the first time, seeing which employers actively recruit and support women apprentices can make the difference between exploring an option and actually applying.
STEM and Technical Roles
The same pattern shows up in science, technology, engineering, and math roles, where women remain underrepresented in many technical specializations despite strong demand for skilled workers. WomenAtWork.ca carries postings from technology companies, engineering firms, and research organizations that are actively building more balanced technical teams. For employers in these sectors, a dedicated listing here signals to candidates that the role and the workplace have been set up with retention, not just recruitment, in mind.
Finding Opportunities and Talent by Province
Provincial Signposts
Employment programs, labour market conditions, and even the mix of federally versus provincially regulated employers vary by province. WomenAtWork.ca organizes listings so job seekers can browse by province, whether that means Ontario's dense financial and technology sector, Alberta's energy and trades economy, British Columbia's mix of technology and resource industries, or Quebec's distinct regulatory environment. Employers benefit from this structure too, since it helps target postings toward the labour markets where they are actually hiring.
Filtering by Industry and Role Type
Beyond province, filtering by industry and role type keeps the search manageable. A job seeker looking specifically for part-time return-to-work roles in health care in Nova Scotia can narrow down to that combination directly, rather than scanning a national list of every open position. Employers get the inverse benefit: postings reach the subset of the candidate pool that is actually looking for that province, industry, and role type combination.
How to Get Started
For Job Seekers
Start by creating a profile that includes your work history, key skills, and the provinces or role types you are targeting. From there, use the filters to narrow the listings to what actually fits, save searches for return-to-work or trades postings if those apply to you, and apply directly through the platform. A complete profile also means employers searching the candidate database can find you even before you apply to a specific posting.
For Employers
Start by reviewing the posting plans and choosing the option that matches your hiring volume, whether that is a single role or an ongoing recruiting need. Federally regulated employers and contractors should loop in their compliance or HR policy team to confirm how postings here fit into existing Employment Equity Act reporting. From there, posting a role, searching the candidate database, and tracking applicants all happen from the same employer dashboard.
FAQ
Is WomenAtWork.ca only for job seekers, or can employers use it too?
Both. Job seekers browse and apply to postings and build a searchable profile, while employers post roles, search candidates, and manage applicants from a dedicated dashboard.
Does WomenAtWork.ca help employers meet Employment Equity Act requirements?
The platform gives federally regulated employers and contractors a sourcing channel aimed specifically at women candidates, which can support a broader equity and compliance strategy. It is not a substitute for legal or compliance advice, so employers should confirm their specific obligations with their own compliance team.
What does a return-to-work friendly posting mean on this site?
It means the employer has signaled openness to candidates with a career gap, and in some cases has built the role around a phased return, mentorship, or refresher training to support re-entry.
Are trades and STEM roles actually posted on WomenAtWork.ca, or is it mostly office jobs?
Trades and STEM roles are a core part of the listings, including apprenticeships, journeyperson positions, and technical roles from employers actively working to build more balanced teams in these fields.
Can I search for jobs by province on WomenAtWork.ca?
Yes. Listings can be filtered by province, industry, and role type, so you can narrow the search to your specific region and the kind of work you are looking for.
How do employers get started posting on WomenAtWork.ca?
Employers can review posting plans and pricing, then create a role listing and start searching the candidate database from the employer dashboard.
Whether you are hiring or job hunting, WomenAtWork.ca serves both sides of the market. Employers can review pricing and post a role at WomenAtWork.ca for employers. Job seekers can browse openings and create a profile at WomenAtWork.ca for job seekers.