Employment and Social Development Canada

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140, prom du Portage
Place du Portage, Phase IV
Gatineau, QC K1A 0J9
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is the fourth-largest federal government department, responsible for improving the standard of living and quality of life for all Canadians through programs such as the Child Care Benefit, Employment Insurance, and Passport Services.

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Employment and Social Development Canada
Staff at Employment and Social Development Canada attend an event for a charitable campaign  

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025), National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2025) and Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 (2025):

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

Here are some of the reasons why Employment and Social Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025), National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025), Canada's Top Family-Friendly Employers (2025) and Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 (2025):

  • Employment and Social Development Canada offers exceptional family-friendly benefits, including generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new parents, options to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence, access to subsidized on-site child care services at the Gatineau head office, and paid family leave time (to 37.5 hours annually) to help with medical appointments, stay home with a sick child, and other responsibilities
  • Employment and Social Development Canada helps employees plan securely for the future with a defined benefit pension plan, pre-retirement workshops available to employees and their spouses (includes information on financial planning, health and nutrition and psychological aspects of retirement) and an option to embark on a pre-retirement transition leave (a special working arrangement whereby eligible employees who are within two years of retirement have their workweek reduced by up to 40 per cent)
  • Employment and Social Development Canada offers activities to improve general wellness through a Wellness Wednesday initiative, with past activities including chair yoga, board games, dance breaks, and guided meditation -- the organization also offers generous coverage for mental health care as part of its benefits plan, to a maximum of $5,000 per year
Employment and Social Development Canada employees collaborate  

    Employer Background

    Work Environment Rating: B+

    Work Atmosphere & Communications Rating: B

    Financial Benefits & Compensation Rating: A

    Health & Family-Friendly Benefits Rating: A+

    Vacation & Personal Time-Off Rating: B

    Employee Engagement & Performance Rating: B

    Training & Skills Development Rating: A

    Community Involvement Rating: A

    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 Employment and Social Development Canada was selected as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):

    • Employment and Social Development Canada supports a dedicated Indigenous recruitment, retention and advancement team that ensures Indigenous perspectives inform the work of the organization, as well as a Black engagement and advancement team that focuses on career coaching, mentoring and sponsorship (to name a few)
    • Employment and Social Development Canada recently introduced a new two-year diverse leadership development program designed to increase representation in leadership roles -- participants of the program gain exposure to leadership networks, mentorship, developmental tools, and language training
    • Developed in consultation with employees, Employment and Social Development Canada supports a "Guide to Support Transgender and Gender Diverse Employees who are Transitioning" -- the guide provides a comprehensive overview of what it means to be transgender, non-binary, two spirit and gender diverse, and provides employees and managers with guidance for various situations that may arise when transitioning
    Employment and Social Development Canada team members  

      Highlights

      Industry Federal government, social development, employment insurance, passport services
      Major Canadian locations London ON, Brossard QC, Boucherville QC, Ottawa ON, St. John's NL, Toronto ON, Victoria BC, Winnipeg MB, Vancouver BC, Edmonton AB, Bathurst NB, Dartmouth NS, Gatineau QC, Montréal QC
      Full-time employees in Canada 40,482
      Management of diversity and inclusion initiatives champions who are responsible for communities of practice and networks, diversity and inclusion action plan (one pillar of the plan is to improve recruitment, retention, and advancement of employment equity groups), diversity outreach, recruitment, retention and advancement team (removes and prevents barriers for employment equity groups), council for Indigenous Peoples (meets monthly to discuss reconciliation with leaders and raise awareness of the labour program's mandate)
      Performance management and accountability employment equity dashboards are published at the portfolio and regional level on a quarterly basis to help inform gaps at the occupational group level and associated strategies to address them, inclusion and organizational culture survey (results presented to members of people management and the leadership committee)
      Employee resource groups Visible Minority Network, Employees with Disabilities Network, Pride Network (consultative body and safe forum for LGBTQ2+ employees and their allies to connect), Indigenous Employees' Circle, Black Employee Network, Women's Network
      Noteworthy diversity strategies and policies 3-year accessibility plan and commitment to hiring over 1,100 persons with disabilities by 2025, 4-year diversity and inclusion action plan
      Recruitment initiatives dedicated Black engagement and advancement team (focuses on recruitment and retention, mental health, learning and awareness building, career coaching, mentorship and sponsorship), dedicated Indigenous recruitment, retention and advancement team (Indigenous-led unit that supports the organization's Indigenous recruitment strategy), IT apprenticeship program for Indigenous peoples (offered by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives), participates in the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program, the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, and the Public Service Commission’s first ever post-secondary recruitment process targeting persons with disabilities, Indigenous talent resource centre
      Retention and development programs Indigenous peer support and onboarding program, Building Black Leaders program (created by Service Canada Atlantic Region and sponsored by the Atlantic Federal Council), group mentoring program for Indigenous and visible minority aspiring managers, pink career program (6-month coaching program for advancing women in IT), 2-year diverse leadership development program (designed to increase representation in leadership roles through networks, mentorship, developmental tools, and language training)
      Training and awareness initiatives unconscious bias training for managers, guide to support transgender and gender diverse employees who are transitioning, mental health learning paths

      The Career Directory

      Employment and Social Development Canada has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.
      Staff at Employment and Social Development Canada

        Highlights for New Grads

        Industry Federal government, social development, employment insurance, passport services
        Full-time employees in Canada 25,001 to 50,000
        Major Canadian locations London ON, Brossard QC, Boucherville QC, Ottawa ON, St. John's NL, Toronto ON, Victoria BC, Winnipeg MB, Vancouver BC, Edmonton AB, Bathurst NB, Dartmouth NS, Gatineau QC, Montréal QC
        Student opportunities paid internships, summer jobs, co-op opportunities
        Training orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, leadership training
        Tuition subsidies (related to job) yes
        Typical new grad positions Policy Analyst, IT Technician, Financial Analyst, Junior Researcher, Program Officer, Assistant, Communications Advisor, Data Analyst, Junior Evaluation Officer, Support Clerk
        Starting salary $50K to $55K
        Work benefits health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours
        Vacation allowance new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

        Academic fields recruited

        Recruits at these schools

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