Health benefits and paid time off are among the top job perks Canadians are looking for when searching online for a new job, according to a new report by data analytics company SEMrush.
The report found interest in workplace health benefits increased 129 per cent between 2016 and 2019, led by job searchers in Ontario and Alberta. It also found searches for ‘office dog’ were up in Ontario by 22 per cent in the past three years, along with searches for ‘work-life balance.’ British Columbia followed Ontario for searches of work-life balance, with about 400 a month.
Read: Majority of Canadian employees rank work-life balance as good, excellent
In terms of work-related concerns, the top search terms per month were perks (8,500), ethics (3,500), bullying (3.100), harassment (2.800) and diversity (1,100). Searches for ‘discrimination’ increased by 69 per cent within the last three years, while ‘harassment’ was up 43 per cent. As well, Canadian workers’ searches for the term ‘millennials’ rose by 22 per cent, followed by ‘ethics’ (up 18 per cent) and ‘depression’ (up 17 per cent).
The report noted there’s a changing tide when it comes to the corporate perks Canadian employees are actively seeking. “Trendy workplace benefits, such as having an in-house doctor and permission to bring pets to work regularly, coupled with old standbys such as gym memberships, are not necessarily high on Canadians’ radars, at least not in relation to a strong deciding factor like health coverage when considering whether or not to accept a job offer.”