About the competition

Now in its 12th year, Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is an annual editorial competition that recognizes the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that offer the nation's best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies. Canada's SME sector is tremendously important to the nation and is responsible for over two-thirds of the country’s private-sector employment. Each year, the competition's editors evaluate employers using the same eight criteria as the national competition: (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. To determine eligibility, the editors adopted the SME definition used by Statistics Canada: companies must (a) have fewer than 500 employees worldwide, including any affiliated companies; and (b) be a commercial, for-profit enterprise—non-profit organizations are not considered SMEs. Any eligible employer in Canada may apply to the competition. For more background on this year’s competition, read the press release issued on April 8, 2025.