U of T continues to be recognized as a top employer in Canada

The University of Toronto has been recognized again as a top employer in Canada and among the best in the Toronto area.

The 2019 competition results for Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Greater Toronto’s Top Employers and Top Employers for Canadians Over 40 acknowledge U of T’s continued leadership in a number of employment practices. This is the 12^th consecutive year that the university has received the award in the national category.  

“We are pleased to be regarded as a top employer again,” said Kelly Hannah-Moffat, U of T’s vice-president of human resources and equity. “These recognitions reaffirm our commitment to all employee experiences and to ensuring an inclusive environment that engages the University of Toronto’s talented and diverse workforce.”

Managed by Mediacorp Canada Inc., the nation’s largest publisher of employment periodicals, the competitions grade employers on criteria that range from health, financial and family benefits, to training and skills development, and community involvement. Some of the reasons for U of T’s selection include its support to families through generous parental leave provisions and multiple onsite daycare options, the new True Blue platform for peer-to-peer employee recognition, contributions to employees’ defined benefit pension plan, and health benefits coverage that extends to retirees.

The University of Toronto is committed to building an intentionally inclusive and diverse work environment. In its 2017-2018 budget, U of T allocated $2.5 million to support the hiring of 20 faculty and 20 staff positions of Indigenous backgrounds. Over the course of the past year, the Division of Human Resources & Equity also developed a set of hiring guidelines and requirements to encourage Indigenous applicants, and to ensure that the university attracts a diverse pool of candidates.

U of T also recently allocated $1 million per year for three years to fund post-doctoral fellowships for individuals from under-represented groups to provide academic training opportunities that will in turn increase the pool of Indigenous and Black scholars for academic positions institutionally and across Canada. The university also delivers a number of diversity training workshops to staff across all three of its campuses on topics such as Indigenous cultural competency, anti-Black racism and anti-bias, accessibility, managing religious diversity in the workplace and mental health awareness.

U of T also supports and encourages community involvement among its employees. The university has partnered with the United Way for more than 20 years in support of programs that address poverty and barriers to education for families and individuals. U of T faculty and staff also participate in Bring Our Children to Work Day and the CIBC Run for the Cure each year.

“These competition results continue to underscore the University of Toronto’s position as an employer of choice,” said Erin Jackson, U of T’s chief human resources officer. “We place a high priority on delivering innovative and equitable employment practices that attract, recognize and retain talented people that make U of T the best university in Canada.”

The University of Toronto employs more than 20,000 appointed and casual faculty and staff across its three campuses in the Greater Toronto Area.