Top Employer: Business Development Bank of Canada

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and Montreal's Top Employers (2025):

By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 14, 2024)

Here are some of the reasons why Business Development Bank of Canada was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and Montreal's Top Employers (2025):

BDC helps employees do the things they love with an expanded list of items that can be reimbursed under the company's wellness spending account -- examples include musical instruments, the tune-up of sports equipment, and the organized activity fees associated with lessons, such as dance or painting
BDC enables employees to enjoy a little more downtime with the option to purchase up to five additional vacation days through its flexible benefits program, as well as a formal earned days off program -- employees also receive five paid personal days per year, which can be used for personal, medical or family reasons, or for community and volunteer work
BDC supports employees' career ambitions with generous tuition subsidies to cover the costs of external education and an aspiring leaders program to help employees develop the necessary competencies for management roles -- for those new to the organization, BDC manages a structured onboarding program and a full-day welcome conference to help orient new hires to the workplace

BDC employees enjoy a coffee at the head office's onsite bistro

Employer Background

Industry	Secondary market financing
Established in Canada	1944
Parent company	Government of Canada
Parent company head office	Ottawa ON
Major Canadian locations	Ottawa ON, Vancouver BC, Calgary AB, Toronto ON, Montréal QC
Full-time employees in Canada	2,907
Part-time employees in Canada	90
Workforce engaged on a contract basis	4.5%
Average age of employees in Canada	42 years
Longest serving employee	46 years

Work Environment Rating: B+

Flexible work options	hybrid work option, flexible work hours, 35-hour work week (with full pay), telecommuting, earned days off program
Commuter amenities	walk to public transit, electric vehicle charging stations, secure/sheltered bicycle parking, nearby bike sharing station
Onsite workplace features	head office is located in the landmark Place Ville Marie, which is centrally located and directly linked to the city's extensive underground city (Réso), providing all-season access to shopping malls, restaurants and the city's Métro, inside, the workplace features diverse spaces for concentration, collaboration, and social activities, an in-house studio, a tech café (for face-to-face tech support), telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations, private phone booth, religious observance room, self-serve lunchroom, outdoor patio
Employee lounge amenities	comfortable seating, music, television, table tennis
Onsite cafeteria	healthy menus, special diet menus, take-home meals
Other food options at main location	sandwiches, wraps, soups, and snacks, meal options use fresh and seasonal ingredients that showcase Indigenous communities

Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B

Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: A+

Financial benefits note	BDC has multiple employee groups, financial benefits may vary by position
Outside salary surveys	participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months
Employee salary reviews	individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months
Long-term savings	defined-benefit (DB) pension, matching RSP
Long-term planning	phased-in retirement work options
Year-end bonuses	available to all employees
Referral bonuses (max)	new employee referral bonuses (up to $2,500) for some positions
Signing bonuses	available for some positions
Additional financial benefits	employee savings and investment plan (employees may contribute a percentage of their salary and receive an employer match, and can invest savings in a tax-sheltered or non-tax-sheltered account, or a tax-free savings account)

Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: B+

Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 96% of the premiums
Flexible coverage	health plan is flexible with adjustable premiums and coverage levels
Waiting period	there is no waiting period for coverage
Family coverage option	yes
Retiree coverage with no age limit	yes
Dental coverage	routine, restorative, orthodontics
Eyecare	$300 every 2 years
Health plan includes	traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs), employee assistance (EAP) plan, semi-private hospital room, physiotherapy, medical travel insurance, homecare, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, nutrition planning, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. acupuncture, naturopathy), virtual healthcare services
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $10,000 each year
Health spending account	up to $750 each year
Wellness spending account	up to $750 each year
Additional health plan information	$750 can be allocated to a health spending account or a wellness spending account, which can be used for home office expenses, fitness expenses, and expenses related to organized activities (dance class, paint class), mental health care includes coverage for psychotherapists and psychoanalysts, coverage for gender affirmation procedures, access to Health Service Navigator, retirees can purchase continued benefits coverage through Manulife's "Follow Me" program
Additional health and wellness initiatives	dedicated strategies for mental health and employee wellness, "My Wellness" program focused on sleep, financials, stress, and nutrition, access to CareNew service (self-guided modular programs to help employees cope with issues such as burnout, working effectively from home, parenting, anxiety, and nutrition)
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 100% of salary for 17 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 100% of salary for 6 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 100% of salary for 6 weeks
Additional family-friendly benefits	extended parental leave to unpaid leave, phased-in return to work for new parents, academic scholarships of up to $2,500 per child

Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B+

Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Vacation jump	vacation increases after 5 years of employment
Maximum vacation allowance	employees move to a maximum of 5 weeks of vacation over their career
Paid holiday shutdown	during the Christmas to New Year's holiday break, employees receive an additional 3 days off
Personal paid days off	employees can schedule 5 personal days off each year, as needed
Unpaid leave of absence option	yes
Additional time-off information	some employees start at 4 weeks of paid vacation, employees can use excess flex dollars to purchase up to 5 additional vacation days each year, personal days can be used for personal, medical or family reasons, or for community and volunteer work

Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: A

Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months
Managers receive performance review training	yes
360° feedback option	as part of the review process, performance feedback is also solicited from co-workers and other managers familiar with each employee's work
Confidential employee feedback	employees can also provide confidential feedback on their manager's performance
Exit interview	exit interview option is available for departing employees
Performance recognition	online recognition platform, individual performance bonuses, on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, long-service awards, tailored and unique rewards (e.g. travel)
In-house survey period	in-house surveys are conducted every 3 months
Outside survey period	outside consultant surveys are held every 12 months

Training & Skills Development Rating: A+

Career planning	in-house career planning services, online employee skills inventory
In-house training initiatives	apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, mentoring, in-house training, online training, leadership development programs, paid internships, subsidies for professional accreditation
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $25,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Unrelated tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year for courses unrelated to current position
Unrelated tuition maximum	employer pays up to $25,000 in tuition subsidies per year for courses unrelated to current position
Unique training & development programs	welcome conference for new hires (activities include networking, a tour of the premises, and an immersion into a typical day at BDC), dedicated training for aspiring, new and experienced leaders, learning management system with resources on soft and technical skills (videos, articles, e-learnings), second-language training for French and English

Community Involvement Rating: A

Scope of charitable involvement	local, national
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 2 paid days)
Total number of charities supported last year	approximately 131 charitable and community organizations were supported last year
Some of the community organizations supported	I Love First Peoples, True North Aid, Indspire, Centraide du Grand Montréal, Audace au Feminin, Maison le Paravent, Unsinkable, Fondation Centre Philou
Charitable giving	matches employee donations
Community highlight	BDC's charitable donations focus on supporting the well-being and mental health of entrepreneurs and their employees -- The organization recently launched a new pilot program to provide entrepreneurs with easy access to mental health support, offering up to 550 clients with three hours of free virtual therapy provided through GreenShield Health

Recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):

By Kristina Leung, Chantel Watkins, and Cypress Weston, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Feb 24, 2025)

Here are some of the reasons why Business Development Bank of Canada was selected as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):

BDC launched the Black Professional Network to help address the unique challenges Black professionals face in the workplace and to increase opportunities for career progression -- with over 100 members across Canada, the group operates under the pillars of connection, career guidance and career development
BDC created five new financing programs for diverse entrepreneurs to increase access to capital -- in partnership with various other organizations, programs include the Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, Black Innovation Fund, Indigenous Growth Fund, and the Alterna Savings’ Community Micro Finance Program (available in Ontario only)
BDC takes an informed approach to updating its workplace practices and areas of focus by gathering diverse perspectives through an annual cycle of listening circles -- employees who have self-identified as members of a community of focus (including visible minorities, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, persons with disabilities and Indigenous peoples) are invited to participate, and their insights help inform recommendations to improve workplace practices and policies

BDC employees at work

Highlights

Industry	Secondary market financing
Major Canadian locations	Ottawa ON, Vancouver BC, Calgary AB, Toronto ON, Montréal QC
Full-time employees in Canada	2,907
Management of diversity and inclusion initiatives	diversity, equity and inclusion leadership council (chaired by CHRO and comprised of executives from each line of business), five communities of focus are each aligned to an executive sponsor who works to support the strategy for that community, the DEI team regularly consults with all groups
Performance management and accountability	measures demographic makeup of the workforce, tracks source of job applicants
Employee resource groups	communities of focus include women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ2+; Black Professional Network
Noteworthy diversity strategies and policies	3-year accessibility plan for employees and entrepreneurs, reviewing policies, procedures, internal and external communications for gender neutral terminology, diverse suppliers can register via BDC's website to be included in their list, diversity certified companies are 51% majority owned and operated by person(s) who are women, minorities, Indigenous persons, LGBTQ2+, persons with disabilities or veterans
Recruitment initiatives	partners with Our Children's Medicine (connects businesses with Indigenous job-seekers)
Retention and development programs	participates in l’Effet A Ambition Challenge (professional development program for women) and previous graduates mentor participants internally, McKinsey Connected Leaders Academy (top employees who self-identify as Black, Asian, Hispanic or LatinX attended three programs: executive leadership program, management accelerator and leadership essentials), with management accelerator and executive leadership alumni matched with a senior management committee member for six months of mentorship
Training and awareness initiatives	annual LGBTQ2+ Pride campaign
Diversity highlights	partners with a sign language firm to provide interpreting services and increase accessibility of BDC events, launched Fortes to advance women in STEM (open to high school students, immigrants and visible minority women offering coaching, mentorship, networking and internships), Thrive Venture Fund and Lab for Women ($500-million), corporate member of the Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada
Highlights from the past year	kicked off the Black Professional Network launched with a virtual kickoff and Q&A session, hosted two in-person networking events in Montréal and Toronto, closed offices during Christmas and New Year's Day for a shared break, continues to hold listening circles annually to gather feedback from the experiences of its communities of focus, published a resource on respectful communication, pronouns and gender-neutral language to help employees adopt inclusive language in their day-to-day lives, published an expanded version of French Inclusive Writing Guidelines based on feedback received

The Career Directory

Business Development Bank of Canada has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.

Highlights for New Grads

Industry	Secondary market financing
Full-time employees in Canada	2,501 to 5,000
Parent company	Government of Canada
Parent company head office	Ottawa ON
Major Canadian locations	Ottawa ON, Vancouver BC, Calgary AB, Toronto ON, Montréal QC
Student opportunities	paid internships, summer jobs
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, in-house career planning services, leadership training
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $25,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Typical new grad positions	Customer Service Representative, Account Manager, Client Relationship Officer
Starting salary	$50K to $55K
Work benefits	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting, employees receive paid time off to volunteer
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Academic fields recruited

Bachelor of Arts
- Business
- Economics
- Human Resources
Bachelor of Commerce / Business Administration
- Accounting
- Finance
- Marketing
- Public Administration
Bachelor of Science
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
Master of Business Administration
- Accounting
- Finance

Recruits at these schools

Capilano University

Concordia University

Dalhousie University

HEC Montréal

McGill University

Queen's University

Saint Mary's University

Université de Moncton

Université de Montréal

Université de Sherbrooke

Université du Québec à Montréal

Université Laval

University of British Columbia

University of Calgary

University of Guelph

University of Manitoba

University of Ottawa

University of Toronto

Past social events	team breakfasts, brunches, lunches, and happy hour get-togethers, hybrid or local diversity equity and inclusion events to recognize important dates such as Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Indigenous Awareness Month, Pride, and International Day for Persons with Disabilities
Cultural aspects	business-casual dress daily, dress-for-your-day policy, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, music while working
Employee communications	intranet site, company newsletter, traditional/email suggestion box, internal social media
Other in-house communications	"Rendez-vous with Isabelle" (a live call with the CEO), BDC Live webinar series

Business Development Bank of Canada

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