An economic Nor'Easter for job-seekers, as more employers in Atlantic Canada improve workplace benefits: 'Atlantic Canada's Top Employers' for 2020 are announced
ST. JOHN'S, Jan. 9, 2020 /CNW/ - More employers in Atlantic Canada are sharpening their pencils and offering better workplace benefits and progressive human resources initiatives. That's the message from this year's Atlantic Canada's Top Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc. in a special feature in the January issue of Atlantic Business magazine.
"We're seeing more employers in Atlantic Canada go out of their way to improve the range of workplace programs and benefits they offer," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp. "This year, we needed to expand the list of winners to reflect accurately the number of outstanding employers we saw in the four Atlantic provinces."
Atlantic Canada is the only region of Canada where the unemployment rate actually decreased last year, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. The region's declining unemployment rate is putting more pressure on employers to improve their HR programs and initiatives if they want to attract the best and brightest.
Now in its 11th year, Atlantic Canada's Top Employers is an editorial project that recognizes employers with exceptional human resources programs and forward-thinking workplace policies. Editors at Mediacorp grade employers on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the project's inception: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time-Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office in Atlantic Canada; employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.
"It's also important to recognize the positive effect immigration is having on the region – it's like an economic Nor'easter," adds Anthony Meehan, Publisher at Mediacorp. "Two decades ago, Atlantic Canada struggled to attract just one per cent of the immigrants Canada takes in each year; today the region's share is five times that level thanks to successful programs like the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. These newcomers bring new skills and energy that can be seen at employers across Atlantic Canada."
Some examples of the employer initiatives recognized this year include:
- Halifax-based NTT DATA Canada Inc. encourages employees to share their ideas and creativity through incentive programs that offer financial rewards and salary increases for innovations or new ideas for business development.
- Provincial Aerospace Ltd., based in St. John's, invests in ongoing employee development with no-limit tuition subsidies for outside courses, as well as supporting younger employees through co-op programs, paid internships, apprenticeships and formal mentoring.
- MetOcean Telematics Ltd., based in Dartmouth, encourages health and wellness at work through regular onsite fitness 'boot camps', yoga classes, nutrition counselling and on-site massage therapy.
- Halifax-based Killam Apartment REIT supports families with generous maternity leave top-up for new moms (to 80 per cent of salary for 17 weeks) and offers flexible hours for when they're ready to return to work -- the company also provides college scholarships to employees' kids, to $3,000 per child.
- Inmarsat Solutions (Canada) Inc., based in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, supports employees who are new mothers with generous maternity and parental leave top-up, to 80 per cent of salary for up to 20 weeks.
Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 15 million Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of users annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. Mediacorp also hosts Canada's largest conference for senior-level HR professionals, the Top Employer Summit. This year's conference took place at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto in November and featured a performance by Coeur de Pirate, one of the most popular musicians in the French-speaking world.
The full list of Atlantic Canada's Top Employers for 2020 was announced in a special feature published Atlantic Business magazine this morning. Detailed reasons for selection with additional stories and photos were released simultaneously on the competition homepage.
https://www.canadastop100.com/atlantic/
Atlantic Canada's Top Employers
2020 Winners
Admiral Insurance Services Ltd., Halifax
Alcool NB Liquor, Fredericton
BioVectra Inc., Charlottetown
CAA Atlantic Ltd., Saint John
CBCL Ltd., Halifax
Clearwater Seafoods LP, Bedford
Crombie REIT, New Glasgow
Dalhousie University, Halifax
East Coast Credit Union, Antigonish
EfficiencyOne, Dartmouth
Emera Inc., Halifax
Health Association Nova Scotia, Bedford
Inmarsat Solutions (Canada) Inc., Mount Pearl
Innovacorp, Halifax
Irving Oil, Saint John
Jazz Aviation LP, Dartmouth
Killam Apartment REIT, Halifax
MetOcean Telematics Limited, Dartmouth
New Brunswick Community College / NBCC, Fredericton
New Castle Hotels & Resorts, Halifax
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union Ltd., St. John's
North Atlantic, Come By Chance
Northwood, Dartmouth
Noseworthy Chapman Chartered Professional Accountants, St. John's
NTT DATA Canada, Inc., Halifax
Opportunities New Brunswick, Fredericton
Organigram Inc., Moncton
Provincial Aerospace Ltd. / PAL, St. John's
ResMed Halifax ULC, Halifax
Sekisui Diagnostics PEI Ltd., Charlottetown
Serco Canada Inc., Happy Valley-Goose Bay
SigMast Communications Inc., Bedford
St. John's International Airport Authority, St. John's
Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems Inc., Dartmouth
UNI Financial Cooperation, Caraquet
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton
Verafin Inc., St. John's
VERB Interactive Inc., Halifax
Web.com Canada, Yarmouth
Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, Halifax
SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.
For further information: Stephanie Leung, Assistant Editor, 416-964-6069 Ext. 5334
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