Employers must demonstrate that genuine efforts were made to recruit from the local labour force.  Employers must also demonstrate that hiring an international worker will not adversely affect employment or development opportunities for Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents.

Third party professional recruitment agencies, head hunting agencies or human resource consulting firms can conduct recruitment on an employer’s behalf; however, the minimum recruitment criteria described below must be met.

Employers must disclose third party representation (see 5.0 Third Party Representation) on the JVA application form.

3.1      Minimum recruitment requirements

Employers must conduct at least two (2) different recruitment activities.

Recruitment measures must include posting vacancies on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank:

1.  Advertise on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank.

• • Posted advertisement must target underrepresented groups in the labour market: Indigenous persons, youth, new immigrants, veterans and persons with disabilities.
  • Employers must use the Job Bank’s job match service. The Job Match service will allow employers to see anonymous profiles of registered job seekers which correspond to the skills and requirements outlined in the posting.

In addition to the Government of Canada Job Bank advertising requirement, employers must conduct at least one of the following two recruitment activities:

2. Post or email the vacant position in the nearest Immigration, Population Growth & Skills Employment Centre.
3. Conduct at least one additional method from the list of acceptable methods of recruitment (see section 3.2 below). The method of recruitment identified must target an audience that has the appropriate education, professional experience or skill level required for the occupation.

3.2      Secondary methods of recruitment

Acceptable methods of recruitment for a job advertisement include:

• general employment websites (i.e. Career Beacon, Workopolis, Monster, Indeed, etc.)
• online classified websites
• specialized websites which are dedicated to specific occupational profiles (for example, accounting, marketing, biotechnology, education, engineering)
• local, regional and national newspapers or newsletters
• local stores, places of worship, and community resource centres
• magazines and journals (for example, national journals or magazines, professional associations magazines, specialized journals)
• participation at job fairs
• consultations with unions for available labour
• advertising through professional associations
• recruitment within the company (for example, considering internal candidates for the position)

3.3 Job advertisement duration

Employers must ensure that the posted job advertisement:

• be accessible to the general public;
• is active for a minimum of three (3) consecutive weeks prior to submitting the JVA application;
• The Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM) reserves the right to request additional documentation from employers to demonstrate recruitment efforts.  For example: additional recruitment activity.

3.4      Job advertisement information

The required job advertisement information includes:

• company operating name
• business address
• title and four-digit NOC code of the position
• job duties (for each position, if advertising is for more than one vacancy)
• skills requirements (includes education and work experience)
• terms of employment (full-time, permanent/indeterminate position)
• language of work
• hourly wage (must include any incremental raises, performance pay or bonuses)
• a wage range can be used for the purposes of complying with the advertisements; however, the minimum wage in the range must meet prevailing wage
• benefits package offered (if applicable)
• location(s) of work (local area, city or town)
• contact information: telephone number, cell phone number, email address, fax number, or mailing address

3.5      Proof of advertisement

Employers must demonstrate that they have made efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents by providing the following documents as proof of advertisement with their JVA application:

• a copy of the employer’s Job Bank dashboard clearly showing the status, job posting ID number, job title and job posting start and end dates for the position associated with the JVA (a screenshot will be acceptable);
• a copy of the advertisement and information to support where, when and for how long the position was advertised (screenshots will be acceptable);
• proof that the print media and websites used to advertise target an audience that has the appropriate education, professional experience and/or skill level required for the occupation, as per the National Occupational Classification code;
• proof of other recruitment activities (for example, invoice from Job Fair, local newspaper).

3.6      Recruitment Summary

Employers must provide a summary of their recruitment efforts with their JVA application.  The summary must include:

• Number of applications received
• Number of applicants interviewed
• Number of applicants offered the position
• Number of job offers declined by applicants
• For each unsuitable application that was interviewed, a summary of their qualifications and an explanation as to why the applicant did not meet the requirements for the position

Employers should not submit personal information belonging to job seekers to IPGS, including personal information found on the resume, such as name and address.