Raising the bar for the nation's most highly educated workforce: this year's 'National Capital Region's Top Employers' are announced

OTTAWA, ON, March 4, 2025 /CNW/ - As the workforce in the nation's capital becomes increasingly educated and technology-focused, the region's best employers in the public and private sectors are borrowing best practices from each other. The best of these initiatives were recognized today as winners of this year's National Capital Region's Top Employers were announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

"The fascinating dynamic between the best employers in the public and private sectors is intensifying and playing out in full-view in the National Capital Region," says Richard Yerema, executive editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "There's no other employment market in the country where we see each side borrowing the best practices from the other so frequently and quickly, raising the bar for the region's highly educated workforce."

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the National Capital Region's Top Employers competition and, while the public sector remains the cornerstone of the region's workforce, private sector employers are making significant gains raising the bar for workplace benefits and programs. In response, the project's editors have noted that public sector organizations have expanded their offerings in areas such as parental leave, professional development and mental health assistance to remain competitive.

"Readers are often surprised to learn that Ottawa has the highest concentration of tech talent in North America, at 13.3% of the workforce," adds Yerema. "This is higher than San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Washington or Toronto, but most importantly it creates significant competition among the region's many employers to attract and retain this talent." The region also holds the distinction for having Canada's highest concentration of residents with post-secondary education, at 63.7 per cent of the overall population.

First published in 2006, the National Capital Region's Top Employers is a special designation that recognizes employers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. 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. The competition is open to all employers, public or private sector, with their head office or principal place of business in the National Capital Region or its vicinity.

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, used by millions of job-seekers annually to find new job postings and discover what the nation's best employers are offering. 

The full list of National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025) was announced today in a special magazine distributed online in the Ottawa Citizen and on Eluta.ca. Detailed 'reasons for selection' explaining why each winner was chosen, including scores of 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: #CapitalRegionTopEmployers, #topemployers2025

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

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