Toronto 
As more Canadians consider changing jobs in 2026, employers are being judged on far more than pay alone. A recent survey by Robert Half Canada found that 33% of employed professionals plan to look for a new job in the first half of 2026, up from 26% in July 2025. In addition to salary, respondents cited benefits, flexibility, perks, and career advancement as key factors.
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Those priorities are reflected in Forbes’ 11th annual Canada’s Best Employers 2026 ranking, produced in partnership with market research firm Statista. The list of 300 is based on survey responses from more than 37,000 employees working at organizations with at least 500 employees in Canada.
Survey participants, who remained anonymous, were asked whether they would recommend their employer and to rate organizations on compensation, work flexibility, training, and leadership programs. The results were combined with data from the previous three years, with recent responses weighted more heavily. Each organization received a score, and the top 300 employers made the final list.
At the top of the 2026 ranking, Université Laval placed No. 1, followed by McMillan at No. 2 and Université de Sherbrooke at No. 3. Parks Canada ranked No. 4, while Concordia University took No. 5. Other high-ranking organizations include BC Hydro (No. 7), Bank of Canada (No. 8), and Canadian Blood Services (No. 9).
The list spans a wide range of sectors, from education and government to technology and healthcare. Technology firms such as OpenText (No. 15) and Shopify (No. 26) appeared alongside public institutions like Statistics Canada (No. 28) and Ontario Power Generation (No. 34).
Together, the rankings provide a snapshot of which employers are consistently meeting employee expectations as job mobility continues to rise across Canada.
Top 50 – Canada’s Best Employers
- Université Laval, Québec City (Education)
- McMillan, Ottawa (Professional Services)
- Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Education)
- Parks Canada, Gatineau (Government Services)
- Concordia University, Montreal (Education)
- Canadian Institute for Health Information, Ottawa (Medical Equipment & Services)
- BC Hydro, Vancouver (Utilities)
- Bank of Canada, Ottawa (Government Services)
- Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa (Healthcare & Social Services)
- CSA Group, Toronto (Professional Services)
- Canadian Heritage, Gatineau (Government Services)
- Hydro-Québec, Montreal (Utilities)
- City of London, London (Government Services)
- Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto (Education)
- OpenText, Waterloo (IT Software & Services)
- Google, Mountain View, United States (IT Software & Services)
- Huawei, Shenzhen, China (Semiconductors, Electronics & Electrical Engineering)
- Michelin North America (Canada), Greenville, United States (Automotive)
- National Research Council Canada, Ottawa (Government Services)
- DXC Technology, Ashburn, United States (IT Software & Services)
- Microsoft, Redmond, United States (IT Software & Services)
- Salesforce, San Francisco, United States (IT Software & Services)
- Raymond James Financial, Toronto (Banking & Financial Services)
- The Co-operators, Guelph (Insurance)
- British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby (Education)
- Shopify, Ottawa (IT Software & Services)
- George Brown College, Toronto (Education)
- Statistics Canada, Ottawa (Government Services)
- Info-Tech Research Group, London (IT Software & Services)
- TransLink, New Westminster (Transportation & Logistics)
- BCAA, Burnaby (Insurance)
- Industrial Alliance, Québec City (Insurance)
- Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta, Edmonton (Government Services)
- Ontario Power Generation, Toronto (Utilities)
- Global Affairs Canada, Ottawa (Government Services)
- Bethany Care Society, Calgary (Healthcare & Social Services)
- Desjardins, Lévis (Banking & Financial Services)
- Manitoba Public Insurance, Winnipeg (Insurance)
- Elections Canada, Gatineau (Government Services)
- Domino’s Pizza, Windsor (Restaurants)
- City of Mississauga, Mississauga (Government Services)
- Hydro One, Toronto (Utilities)
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown (Government Services)
- Oak Valley Health, Oakville (Healthcare & Social Services)
- Cisco Systems, Toronto (IT Software & Services)
- Fortis, St. John’s (Utilities)
- University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown (Education)
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto (Healthcare & Social Services)
- Empire Life, Kingston (Insurance)
- Home Hardware, St. Jacobs (Retail & Wholesale)
