Home to the strongest job market in the country, 'BC's Top Employers' for 2019 are announced

VANCOUVER, Feb. 21, 2019 /CNW/ - British Columbia residents are long accustomed to rankings that rate the province's quality-of-life and scenery as among the best in the world. These days, however, there's another accolade that's putting a spring into the step of residents: at just 4.4%, B.C. is home to the lowest unemployment rate in Canada – and employers are going out of their way to attract and retain employees. That's the message from this year's BC's Top Employers, announced this morning by the editors of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp Canada Inc.

"Many of the nation's best employers are found in British Columbia," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "This year's list of winners reflects the province's highly diversified economy and is the product of decades of public investment in education and creating highly livable and desirable urban centres. Employers in British Columbia compete on an international stage for the best and brightest talent from around the world."

"We are also seeing an increased focus by the best employers on employee wellness, paying attention to their whole self," adds Kristina Leung, Senior Editor at the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "The concept of sustainability is well-established in B.C. when it comes to the environment and the economy – the best employers are extending this concept into the workplace, focusing on their employees' need for wellness."

Some notable initiatives the editors highlighted this year:

• Vancouver-based HSBC Bank Canada provides employees with a flexible health benefits plan that includes a $500 annual wellness credit, which can be used to achieve health goals, such as health-related technology (iPads, tablets), gym membership or nutrition counselling.
• Vancouver-based engineering firm Knight Piésold provides employees with tuition subsidies for job-related courses (to $1,500 annually) and offers specialized in-house training courses, including a special program that lets employees gain work experience at offices around the world.
• Absolute Software in Vancouver rewards outstanding employee performance with paid days off – and a special four-day travel reward that includes airfare, accommodations and a $500 spending allowance.
• Following the federal government's expanded EI maternity and parental leave, Vancouver-based Vancity has boosted its own maternity and parental leave top-up (to 85% of salary for 78 weeks) and has increased parental leave for new dads and adoptive parents (to 85% of salary for 61 weeks).
• ToursByLocals of Vancouver cultivates an ownership culture through a company share purchase plan that's available to all employees – and lets all staff share in the company's success with a company-wide profit-sharing program.
• UBC promotes employee-led activities that encourage workplace well-being through a unique program that provides start-up funds and support for grassroots health-related and sustainable initiatives, from yoga classes to bike-share programs and community gardens.
• Along with helping employees save for the future, WorkSafeBC provides retirement planning assistance and health benefits that extend to retirees (with no age limit and fully paid premiums).

Now in its 14^th year, BC's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes the British Columbia employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Employers throughout British Columbia were evaluated by the editors at Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as the national competition: (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 British Columbia; employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.

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, a large job search engine that includes editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project and is used by almost 8 million users in Canada each year. Mediacorp also hosts the Top Employer Summit, Canada's largest conference for senior-level HR professionals.

The full list of BC's Top Employers was announced in a special magazine published in The Vancouver Sun this morning. Detailed reasons for selection with hundreds of additional stories and photos were also released this morning and are accessible via the competition homepage.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

For further information: Anthony Meehan, Publisher, at 416-964-6069 x9179

Related Links

http://www.mediacorp.ca