Small business, big opportunity: 'Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers' for 2025 are announced

TORONTO, April 8, 2025 /CNW/ - More Canadians are turning to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for career growth, flexibility and meaningful work. Compared to larger employers, SMEs usually offer faster-paced environments where employees can take on more responsibility early in their careers, shape their roles and develop skills faster. These advantages define this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

"Our SME winners have always provided dynamic environments where employees are in the driver's seat in mapping out their career paths," says Richard Yerema, executive editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "But what's changing is their ability to match larger employers in terms of benefits such as vacation allowance, mental health support, and family-friendly benefits. The differences between these SMEs and the winners on our national list are becoming increasingly smaller."

Once known primarily for their strong workplace culture and growth opportunities, many SMEs now offer benefits that now rival much larger enterprises. Increasingly, SME winners provide at least three weeks' starting vacation (at some, the vacation allowance is unlimited), parental leave top-ups, mental health coverage, and flexible work arrangements. Many winners also lead the way in providing in-house professional development, mentorship, and unique rewards like travel tickets or other perks that are more difficult to implement at larger organizations.

"Today's employees are looking for flexibility, purpose, and an opportunity to grow," adds Kristina Leung, managing editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "This year's SME winners are rising to the challenge with competitive benefits and a workplace culture that prioritizes personal and professional development. They are a top choice for Canadians at any stage of their career."

Now in its 12^th year, Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that offer the nation's best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies. Editors at Mediacorp review employers on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the project's inception: (1) 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. The editors publish detailed 'reasons for selection' for these criteria, providing transparency in the selection of winners and a catalogue of best practices for employers and job-seekers alike. To be eligible for this competition, employers must have their head office or principal place of business in Canada and meet the Statistics Canada definition of a small or medium enterprise.

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 19 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which has been used by millions of job-seekers to find new job postings and discover what the nation's best employers are offering. 

The full list of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) was announced today in a special magazine published online in The Globe and Mail and on Eluta.ca. Detailed 'reasons for selection' for each of this year's winners, as well as stories and photos about their initiatives, were released today by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.

Join the discussion about today's announcement on social media:
Instagram & Facebook: @topemployers
Twitter/X: @top_employers
Hashtags: #topSME #topemployers2025

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Further information: Chantel Watkins, Assistant Editor, [email protected]