top 20 companies to work for in 2020

The Randstad Employer Branding Research (REBR) survey was conducted in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 outbreak reached Canada.

At the time, the job market was tight and companies were struggling to fill open roles, which typically leads to more focus on employer branding.

However, since then, the global economy has been severely impacted by the pandemic, causing disruptions in the labour market and leading to high unemployment rates and a decline in job vacancies.

Given the challenging circumstances, many companies are understandably paying less attention to employer branding.

However, it’s also a time when we see many companies going above and beyond to support their employees and make sure that they’re doing okay through the crisis.

With that in mind, we’re proud to shine on a spotlight on 20 employers who have been identified by Canadians as standouts who care about the well-being of their employees.

hall of fame

Microsoft was inducted into the Employer Brand Hall of Fame for 2 years starting in 2019, after claiming the title of Canada’s best employer brand for three years running between 2017 and 2019.

the top 20 employer brands in canada for 2020!

1. Canadian Solar
2. WSP Canada
3. CNOOC Petroleum (Nexen Energy)
4. Air Canada
5. Canadian National Railway (CN)
6. Ensign Energy Services
7. Novartis
8. Thomson Reuters Canada 
9. Accenture Canada 
10. GoldCorp
11. CAE Inc.
12. IBM Canada
13. Toronto Hydro
14. Deloitte
15. Brewer’s Retail Inc. (The BeerStore)
16. Bruce Power
17. ATCO
18. GlaxoSmithKline
19. WestJet Airlines
20. KPMG 

Congratulations to all of the most attractive employers for 2020. Though the world is going through a challenging period right now, a strong employer brand is an invaluable asset that will serve you well as long as you continue to nurture it.

Employees and job seekers will remember how you reacted during these extraordinary circumstances, and it will shape their views of your brand for years to come.

As the global economy enters the recovery phase, we have no doubt these top employers will lead the way and set an example of how to successfully navigate the transition back to work safely while nurturing their employer brands. 

As we move into the recovery stage of the pandemic, a strong employer brand will be an invaluable tool for attracting and retaining the core talent your business needs to successfully navigate the crisis and emerge out the other side.

If you need support managing your employer brand during this transition period, we’ve created two white papers that you may find useful.

During this period of global crisis, it’s important to consider how you can execute your employer brand both on a widespread corporate level, as well as within unique local markets.

Our whitepaper activating a global employer brand locally explores this topic. We also created a white paper on leveraging technology to build your employer brand.

With many organizations embracing work-from-home policies during the pandemic, technology is a key way to monitor and unify your employer brand to ensure you’re well-positioned to attract the talent your business needs during this critical time.

are you interested in knowing who the leading employers have been in recent years? you can check out our archives for more information.

• the top 10 companies to work for in 2023 in canada
• the top 20 companies to work for in 2022 in canada
• the top 20 companies to work for in 2021 in canada
• the top 20 companies to work for in 2019 in canada

want to learn about our research or how to develop your employer brand? check out our video!