If your organization wants more women on its shortlists, 2026 changed some of the rules you post under. Ontario now requires pay ranges in job ads and bans "Canadian experience" requirements, and federal money for hiring women into the trades is being renewed. This guide to women hiring in Canada covers what employers need to know, where WomenAtWork.ca fits, and what women looking for work can do with the same information.
Quick takeaways
- Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must state expected pay in public job postings, with any range no wider than $50,000 a year for roles paying up to $200,000.
- British Columbia (since November 1, 2023) and Prince Edward Island (since June 1, 2022) also require pay information in publicly advertised postings.
- The federal Apprenticeship Service paid small and medium employers $10,000 per first-year Red Seal apprentice from an equity-deserving group, including women, versus $5,000 otherwise. Ottawa has announced a renewed Build Canada Apprenticeship Service offering up to $10,000 per hire.
- The 50/30 Challenge asks participating organizations to reach gender parity on boards and in senior management. It is voluntary.
- WomenAtWork.ca is a Canadian job board for employers who want to reach women candidates and for women looking for work or a next step.
Who WomenAtWork.ca Is For
WomenAtWork.ca has two audiences, and it helps to be clear about both.
Employers and hiring managers
The employer side is for HR teams, recruiters and owners who want their openings in front of women across Canada. The fit is strongest where women are underrepresented and the employer has a stated goal: an engineering firm working toward Engineers Canada's 30 by 30 target, a contractor sponsoring apprentices, or a company that has signed the 50/30 Challenge and needs to show pipeline progress. You can review current pricing and post a role through WomenAtWork.ca for employers.
Women looking for work or advancement
The job seeker side is for women at any stage: graduates, newcomers building Canadian experience, women returning after parental or caregiving leave, and experienced professionals aiming for a senior role. Every employer on the board has chosen to reach women, which is a useful filter before you spend an evening on a cover letter.
What the board does not do
WomenAtWork.ca is a job board. It is not a recruitment agency that screens candidates for you, and it is not a source of legal or immigration advice. Compliance questions belong with your HR advisor or employment counsel.
The 2026 Posting Rules Employers Hiring Women Should Know
Pay transparency matters for gender-diverse hiring because a stated range reduces the negotiation gap that tends to disadvantage candidates who are less likely to push back on a first offer. It also happens to be the law in a growing number of provinces.
Ontario: six requirements since January 1, 2026
Under amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Ontario Regulation 476/24, employers with 25 or more employees must, on every publicly advertised posting:
- State the expected pay or a pay range. A range cannot span more than $50,000 a year unless the role pays more than $200,000.
- Disclose whether artificial intelligence is used to screen, assess or select applicants.
- State whether the posting is for an existing vacancy.
- Leave out any requirement for Canadian work experience, in the posting or the application form.
- Tell interviewed applicants whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview.
- Keep postings and related records for three years.
British Columbia and Prince Edward Island
BC's Pay Transparency Act has required expected pay or a range in public postings since November 1, 2023, and bars employers from asking applicants about their pay history. It also phases in annual pay transparency reports by employer size, with employers of 50 or more due to report starting November 1, 2026. PEI amended its Employment Standards Act effective June 1, 2022, requiring pay in postings and banning pay history questions.
Federally regulated employers
If you are a bank, airline, railway, telecom or other federally regulated employer with 100 or more employees, the Employment Equity Act already requires you to report annually on the representation of women and other designated groups. RBC, TD, Air Canada, CN and Bell all file these reports. Your sourcing data feeds directly into that reporting, so knowing which channels produce women applicants is not optional.
Money and Programs That Support Hiring Women
Several public programs reduce the cost of hiring and developing women, especially in trades and technical roles. Program status changes, so confirm details on Canada.ca before you budget around them.
Apprenticeship hiring incentives
The federal Apprenticeship Service offered employers with 499 or fewer employees $5,000 for each new first-year apprentice in eligible Red Seal trades, doubled to $10,000 when the apprentice is from an equity-deserving group such as women in construction and manufacturing trades. ESDC paused intake while renewing the program, and the government has announced a Build Canada Apprenticeship Service with incentives of up to $10,000 per eligible hire, expected to launch in late 2026.
The Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit
Separately, the Canada Revenue Agency's Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit lets employers claim 10 percent of eligible apprentice wages, up to $2,000 per apprentice per year, for the first two years of a Red Seal apprenticeship. It stacks with grant programs.
Industry targets you can align with
Engineers Canada's 30 by 30 initiative aims for women to make up 30 percent of newly licensed engineers by 2030. Its 2025 membership report puts the 2024 figure at 21.0 percent. Firms that register as 30 by 30 champions commit to practices such as gender-balanced interview panels and licensure support for engineers-in-training, which is concrete guidance you can borrow even if you never sign up.
Aligning Your Pipeline With the 50/30 Challenge
The 50/30 Challenge, run by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, asks organizations to work toward 50 percent women and/or non-binary people on boards and in senior management, and 30 percent representation of other underrepresented groups, including racialized people, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQI+ people and First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.
Parity at the top starts in the middle
Your senior managers in 2031 are your supervisors and team leads today. If women are scarce at the supervisor level, executive search will not close the gap. Post supervisor, coordinator and junior manager roles where women are looking, not only director roles.
Find where women drop out
Track three ratios by source: applications to shortlist, shortlist to interview, interview to offer. If women apply but are not shortlisted, review your screening criteria. If they interview but do not receive offers, look at panel composition and whether every candidate gets the same questions.
Outreach versus restriction
Targeting outreach to women is standard practice. Restricting a role to women is a different matter, governed by provincial human rights codes and, in some cases, special program provisions. Get advice before you word a posting that way.
Writing a Posting That Women Will Apply To
The board you choose matters, but so does the ad. These changes cost nothing.
Lead with the range and the schedule
Put the pay range and the actual schedule near the top: "$78,000 to $92,000, four days on site in Mississauga, one remote" tells a candidate more than a paragraph about culture.
Separate requirements from preferences
A posting for a Project Coordinator, Commercial Construction that lists PMP certification, five years of experience and a Gold Seal as requirements will lose qualified applicants who have two of the three. Name the true must-haves, then list the rest as assets.
State leave and flexibility in specifics
Employment Insurance offers standard parental benefits of up to 40 weeks shared between parents, or extended benefits of up to 69 weeks at a lower rate. If you top up EI, say by how much and for how long. "Generous benefits" is not information.
How WomenAtWork.ca Differs From a Generic Board
Large national boards are useful for volume, and most employers should keep using them. A niche board earns its place as a complement when you need to change the composition of an applicant pool, not just its size.
Who sees the posting
On a general board, your ad competes with every other employer for every type of job seeker. On WomenAtWork.ca, the readers are women who chose a board built for them, so your posting starts in front of the candidates you are trying to reach.
Measurable against your other channels
Because the audience is defined, the results are easy to isolate. Tag your applicant tracking system with the source, run the same role on two channels for two hiring cycles, and compare shortlist and offer ratios rather than raw application counts.
Alongside an agency, not instead of one
Employers searching for a recruitment agency for women in Canada often need reach more than screening. A job board gives you the reach while selection stays in-house. For executive searches, keep your search firm and use the board for the pipeline below it.
What Job Seekers Can Do With This Information
The same rules that bind employers give job seekers leverage. You can browse openings and create a profile through WomenAtWork.ca for job seekers.
Use the pay range before you apply
In Ontario, BC and PEI, a posting from a covered employer without pay information is a red flag worth noting. Check the range against Job Bank's wage data for the same National Occupational Classification code in your region before you decide what to ask for.
Know your 45-day right in Ontario
If you interview with an Ontario employer of 25 or more, you should hear whether a decision has been made within 45 days of your last interview. If you have not, a short follow-up email referencing your interview date is reasonable.
Newcomers: Canadian experience is no longer a gate in Ontario
Ontario postings cannot require Canadian work experience. Describe your international experience by results and by the Canadian equivalent title, and get credentials assessed through the relevant regulator, such as a provincial engineering association for P.Eng. licensure.
Moving into the trades or STEM
Pre-apprenticeship programs such as Women Building Futures in Edmonton, and networks such as the Canadian Association of Women in Construction and the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, offer training, mentors and job leads. Mention apprenticeship incentives to small employers: knowing an employer may qualify for a hiring grant can help you start the conversation.
FAQ
Does posting on WomenAtWork.ca mean the role is only open to women?
No. Posting there is targeted outreach. Whether a role can be restricted is governed by human rights law, so check with counsel before writing a restricted posting.
Do the Ontario pay range rules apply to postings on WomenAtWork.ca?
They apply to publicly advertised postings by Ontario employers with 25 or more employees, wherever the ad appears. Include the range in every posting.
Can I still get $10,000 for hiring a woman apprentice?
The original Apprenticeship Service paused intake for renewal. Watch Canada.ca for the Build Canada Apprenticeship Service, announced with incentives of up to $10,000 per eligible hire.
Is WomenAtWork.ca a recruitment agency?
No. It is a job board. Employers post roles and run their own selection; job seekers browse and apply directly.
What should job seekers include in a profile?
The role you want, your location or remote preference, and credentials by their proper names, such as Red Seal, P.Eng. or CPA.
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. Put a pay range and real schedule in your next posting, or a clear target role in your profile, and start there.