Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2024), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2023), Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 (2024) and National Capital Region's Top Employers (2023):
Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 16, 2023)
Here are some of the reasons why Export Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2024), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2023), Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 (2024) and National Capital Region's Top Employers (2023):
- EDC helps to ensure employees take time to rest and recharge with four weeks of starting vacation allowance (a recent increase from three weeks) and the option to purchase up to five additional days off through their flexible health benefits plan
- EDC helps employees balance their work and personal lives through compassionate programs such as family caregiver leave for adults (with top-up to 95 per cent of salary for up to eight weeks), paid personal leave for family emergencies (five to 10 days depending on the situation), and special leave for extenuating circumstances (employees can work reduced hours at full salary)
- Additionally, EDC offers enhanced mental health benefits to a maximum of $2,500 per year and manages a unique paramedical benefits extension program for employees with ongoing medical conditions (employees may apply to receive 90 per cent reimbursements with an unlimited maximum)

Employer Background
Industry | International trade financing and support services |
Established in Canada | 1944 |
Major Canadian locations | Ottawa ON, Toronto ON, Vancouver BC, Mississauga ON, Montréal QC |
Full-time employees in Canada | 2,128 |
Full-time employees worldwide | 2,151 |
Workforce engaged on a contract basis | 2.9% |
Average age of employees in Canada | 41.4 years |
Longest serving employee | 38.5 years |
Work Environment Rating: A
Flexible work options | hybrid work option, flexible work hours, telecommuting, reduced summer hours |
Commuter amenities | walk to public transit, transit subsidies, online carpool sign-up, electric vehicle charging stations, secure/sheltered bicycle parking |
Onsite workplace features | 18-storey head office was built to LEED Gold standards, workplace features live plants and original artwork, café and kitchen areas on each floor, customizable meeting spaces as well as large event spaces, training rooms, small private work rooms, in-house catering kitchen for meals and snacks at onsite events, telecommuter workstations, sit-stand workstations, private phone booth, religious observance room, self-serve lunchroom, outdoor patio |
Employee lounge amenities | comfortable seating, television, 2 large lounge areas on the 5th and 18th floors |
Other food options at main location | Bridgehead coffee shop |
Onsite fitness facility | for employees only, free membership, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, instructor-led classes (virtual classes include yoga, body pump, sports conditioning, martial arts, high-intensity interval training, spin classes, outdoor boot camps, Zumba and weight circuits), elliptical trainers, rowing machines, weights, shower facilities, facility is open 6 days a week, employs a full-time fitness coordinator who provides fitness advice and ensures equipment is properly maintained |
Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B
Past social events | virtual games, book clubs, social hours, employee sports teams, President's holiday reception, wellness open house |
Cultural aspects | business-casual dress daily, dress-for-your-day policy, casual dress (e.g. jeans) daily, employee sports teams |
Employee communications | intranet site, company newsletter, traditional/email suggestion box, internal social media |
Other in-house communications | annual employee conference (hosted virtually last year), EDC Sounding Board (confidential platform for employees to ask questions about policies, regulations, or anything related to the organization), town halls |
Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: B+
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-contribution (DC) pension |
Long-term planning | retirement planning assistance, life & disability insurance |
Year-end bonuses | available to all employees |
Referral bonuses (max) | new employee referral bonuses (up to $5,000) for some positions |
Signing bonuses | available for some positions |
Additional financial benefits | discounted home insurance, discounted auto insurance, cost of living adjustment paid to employees in 2022, relocation assistance for new hires and current employees moving to other office locations |
Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A
Health plan premium | as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums |
Flexible coverage | health plan is flexible with adjustable premiums and coverage levels |
Minimum hours worked for coverage | 15 hours per week |
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 |
Paid sick days | employees receive 10 days off each year |
Health plan includes | traditional coverage (e.g. prescription drugs), employee assistance (EAP) plan, semi-private hospital room, physiotherapy, medical travel insurance, medical equipment and supplies, massage therapy, podiatrist, osteopathy, chiropractor, alternative coverage (e.g. acupuncture, naturopathy), virtual healthcare services |
Mental health practitioner benefit | up to $2,500 each year |
Additional health plan information | flex credits can be allocated towards the purchase of additional vacation days, health or wellness spending accounts, RSP, TFSA or an RESP, or donated to a registered Canadian charity; unique paramedical benefits extension program (employees with ongoing medical conditions may apply to receive 90% reimbursements with unlimited maximum), retiree premium coverage ranges from 75% to 100% |
Additional health and wellness initiatives | LiveWELL hub with extensive wellness resources, a monthly LiveWell newsletter, annual Healthy Workplace Month in October, access to LifeSpeak (videos, podcasts and monthly web chats on wellness topics) |
In vitro fertilization (IVF) | $20,000 per lifetime |
Maternity top-up (mothers) | up to 95% of salary for 17 weeks |
Parental top-up (mothers) | up to 95% of salary for 9 weeks |
Parental top-up (fathers) | up to 95% of salary for 18 weeks |
Adoption top-up | up to 95% of salary for 18 weeks |
Additional family-friendly benefits | compassionate top-up to 95% of salary for 18 weeks, academic scholarships of up to $2,700 per child |
Additional family-friendly information | family caregiver leave for adults (top-up to 95% of salary for up to 8 weeks), paid personal leave option for family emergencies (5 to 10 days depending on the situation), virtual Parents@EDC group to help employees connect and share experiences |
Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: A+
Vacation allowance | new employees receive 4 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
Vacation jump | vacation increases after 8 years of employment |
Maximum vacation allowance | employees move to a maximum of 5 weeks of vacation over their career |
Previous experience | considers previous work experience when setting annual vacation for new employees |
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 2 personal days off each year, as needed |
Company paid days off | employees receive 1 personal day off, as determined by their employer |
Unpaid leave of absence option | yes |
Additional time-off information | employees can purchase up to 5 additional vacation days as part of EDC's health benefits plan, employees may apply for special leave, allowing them to work reduced hours at full salary during extenuating circumstances |
Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: A
Employee performance reviews | employees receive individual performance reviews every 6 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 | individual performance bonuses, on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, long-service awards, tailored and unique rewards (e.g. travel), impact recognition program (peer-nominated awards for employees who have made an impact on their peers, community, customers and EDC's partners) |
Training & Skills Development Rating: A
Career planning | in-house career planning services |
In-house training initiatives | mentoring, in-house training, online training, 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 $24,000 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 $24,000 in tuition subsidies per year for courses unrelated to current position |
Education leave | educational leaves of absence are available |
Unique training & development programs | language training, leadership forums, extensive catalog of online, live and on-demand courses (over 2,000 courses and curated content) |
Community Involvement Rating: A+
Scope of charitable involvement | local, national, international |
Employee charitable involvement | employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 2 paid days) |
Some of the community organizations supported | Children’s Aid Foundation of Ottawa, Fonds Solidarité Sud, Capital Rainbow Refuge Fund, Kids Up Front Ottawa, Lanark County Interval House, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada Canada, Learning Code, Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization, Peel Guyanese Association for Guyana, Health Relief Helping With Furniture, Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, DIVERSEcity |
Charitable giving | matches employee donations, matches employee volunteer hours with company donations |
Community highlight | For 13 years, EDC has supported CARE Canada, an international non-governmental organization that focuses on poverty alleviation through women’s economic empowerment programming. EDC employees have the opportunity to be assigned for a 16-week placement to CARE projects across the world, helping to grow village savings and loan associations in Zambia or assisting agribusiness in Peru. To date, 42 employees have been seconded to nine CARE offices around the world. |
Recognized as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2023):
Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Jan 23, 2023)
Here are some of the reasons why Export Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2023):
- EDC's dedicated Growing Professionals Committee offers development opportunities, resources and support to students and young professionals, as well as organizing various social events throughout the year -- the committee also manages a mentorship program designed to promote career development, support diversity and inclusion, and facilitate connections among employees of all experience levels
- The Growing Professionals Committee also recently launched a collaborative case competition, engaging members of the committee to pitch improvements to EDC's digital onboarding experience -- teams present their ideas to senior executives, and the winning team may see their idea be implemented by the Transformation Office
- The 24-month Project Finance Associate Program provides a combination of structured and hands-on training to new associates at EDC -- participants are immersed in finance fundamentals and supported with regular feedback on progress and performance

Highlights
Industry | International trade financing and support services |
Major Canadian locations | Ottawa ON, Toronto ON, Vancouver BC, Mississauga ON, Montréal QC |
Full-time employees in Canada | 2,019 |
Student opportunities | paid internships |
In-house training programs | orientation program, in-house training, online training, in-house career planning services, mentoring, leadership training |
Related tuition subsidies | employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year |
Annual tuition maximum | employer pays up to $24,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year |
Unique training and development opportunities | mentorship program through the Growing Professionals Committee, 12-week unpaid internship offered through the Connexions program at Ottawa University's Telfer School of Business (participants may be offered paid internships upon completion), virtual onboarding buddy program |
Additional highlights | student career advice workshops hosted by the CEO, Youth Education Program (awards scholarships to Canadian students with a demonstrated interest in international business), offers up to 30 $4,000 international business scholarships annually (25 go to undergraduate students), currently piloting an Indigenous Research Internship to build a talent pool of Indigenous students, workshop to guide students to find their dream job at EDC (attended by over 60 employees, topics included career direction, career development resources, potential career paths at EDC, and negotiating effectively, to name a few) |
Dedicated employee resource group | Growing Professionals Committee is a self-driven group of students and young professionals, providing social and professional development opportunities and resources for students and new grads |
Vacation allowance | new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
Recognized as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2023):
Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Apr 17, 2023)
Here are some of the reasons why Export Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2023):
- EDC's newly named Environmental Resource Group recently relaunched its website to provide information and engage directly with more employees, including environmental tips, data on its own operational greenhouse gas emissions, historic building audits, and an internal blog to help employees reduce their own environmental footprint
- EDC manages a comprehensive recycling program that includes paper, metals, plastics and waste -- and the company has set goals to reduce the company's annual food waste from over 16,600 kg down to approximately 9,000 kg
- Along with a rooftop patio and green roof, EDC partnered with Alvéole to introduce two rooftop beehives that are home to 50,000 bees -- in their first season, the hives produced 180 jars of honey, which were sold to employees with the funds donated to United Way

Highlights
Industry | International trade financing and support services |
Major Canadian locations | Ottawa ON, Toronto ON, Vancouver BC, Mississauga ON, Montréal QC |
Full-time employees in Canada | 2,019 |
Employee green team | environmental employee resource group |
Senior executive who oversees initiatives | Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Sustainability Officer |
Formal strategy/policy name | environmental and social risk management framework, climate change policy (2019) |
Publishes sustainability report | yes |
Green highlights | Environmental Resource Group's (formerly the Green Team) mandate is to support and promote efforts to reduce the company's operational environmental footprint (with a primary focus on the areas of paper usage, waste sent to landfill, energy and water consumption and business travel), Community Investment Day (typically a day of volunteering, shifted to a virtual event during the pandemic) |
Noteworthy initiatives | EDC Cleantech Team (dedicated service for the support of clean-tech companies), sustainable bond framework supports financing for green, social and transition initiatives that include activities that decarbonize a customer’s operations (including carbon capture utilization and storage and use of low carbon intensity fuels) |
Building footprint includes | green roof, rooftop vegetable garden managed by kitchen employees (provides a variety of produce including kale, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, bell peppers and herbs), LED lighting upgrades |
Extended recycling | workstation waste management program features clearly labelled recycling, waste and composting bins that are designed to match the larger receptacles in the café and public areas, phased out all disposable cutlery (and provided each employee with their own set of reusable cutlery) |
Commuter amenities | Commuter Challenge (employees walk, run, cycle, carpool, take transit or telecommute to work), walk to public transit, secure/sheltered bicycle parking, online carpool sign-up, transit subsidies |
Community partnerships | Waste Reduction Week and Environment Week (hosted a week-long waste-free lunch challenge), partnership with Alvéole to introduce rooftop beehives that are home to 50,000 bees (produced 180 jars of honey in its first year, sold to employees with funds donated to the United Way), La Relance Technology Service (partnership that collects, repairs and refurbishes old technology and donates to local schools, libraries and non-profits) |
The Career Directory
Export Development 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 | International trade financing and support services |
Full-time employees in Canada | 1,001 to 2,500 |
Major Canadian locations | Ottawa ON, Toronto ON, Vancouver BC, Mississauga ON, Montréal QC |
Student opportunities | paid internships |
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 $24,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year |
Other info for new grads | Offers international business scholarships (up to 30 annually), awards scholarships to Canadian students through the Youth Education Program |
Typical new grad positions | Credit and Banking Analyst/Associate, Risk Analyst, Underwriter, Underwriting Policy Coordinator, Loans Services Manager, Financial Analyst, Corporate Banking Officer, Service Desk Professional, Account Manager, Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable Specialist |
Starting salary | $55K to $60K |
Work benefits | flexible work hours, telecommuting, transit subsidies, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 2 paid days) |
Vacation allowance | new employees receive 4 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job |
Academic fields recruited
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Bachelor of Arts
- Business
- Economics
-
Bachelor of Commerce / Business Administration
- Accounting
- Finance
- Information Systems
- Marketing
- Public Administration
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Bachelor of Science
- Computer Science
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Master of Arts
- Economics
-
Master of Business Administration
- Accounting
- Finance
- Information Systems
- Marketing
- Public Administration
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Master of Science
- Information Studies / Library Science
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Professional Accreditation
- Accounting (CA)
- Accounting (CGA)
- Accounting (CMA)
- Investment Planning (CFA, CIM)