Employer Direct Initiative

To participate in the Employer Direct Initiative, employers must meet the following minimum criteria:

Eligible employers must:

• Have owned and actively operated the business for at least three consecutive years immediately prior to submitting the application.
• Be incorporated or registered, and in good standing, by or under an act of the legislature of a province or the Government of Canada.
• Operate as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Manitoba, and is not a home-based business.
• Be a commercial business with a minimum of $350,000 in annual gross revenue in each of the past three years.
• Demonstrate the financial capacity to onboard new workers.
• Demonstrate their ability to retain workers.
• Maintain a clear employer-employee relationship (employees must not be in a partnership or proprietor role with the employer, e.g., owner-operators in trucking or restaurant partnerships).
• Have a positive history with the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, and Federal or Provincial laws and regulations (no fines, administrative penalties, or systemic history of non-compliance).
• Provide a detailed overseas recruitment plan, including identification of any temporary residents intended for hire.
• Submit copies of relevant contracts that demonstrate long-term, full-time positions for which the application is submitted, if the business operates as a placement agency.
• Provide a valid Workers Recruitment and Protection Act (WRAPA) Certificate of Registration from Employment Standards.

Ineligible employers:

• Employers who operate as placement agencies and only provide workers to other businesses on an as-needed basis.
• Employers who solely contract/employ owner operators, self-employed workers or independent contractors.
• Employers who intend to sell their business, or portion of their business, in the next 2 years.
• Employers listed on the Employment and Social Development Canada/Service Canada suspension list.
• Employers who have received fines for violations under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP).

Once you have determined your business meets the minimum eligibility requirements, please proceed with advertising for your required positions. Advertising must demonstrate alignment with the position and advertising criteria below. Please note that transportation and logistics businesses that employ long-haul truck drivers must satisfy the long-haul truck driver recruitment guidelines.

NOTE:

Meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee approval of any positions.

Approved employers who do not use at least 75% of their approved positions may be ineligible to apply for 1 year after the expiry date of the original approval (if applicable).

• Positions must reference the National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2021 list.
• Starting wages must meet the wages and working conditions offered to citizens/permanent residents working in a similar position.
• Wages cannot be less than the median prevailing wage rate for that occupation in the respective region, as indicated in the NOC; please visit https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
• If the prospective employee’s occupation is in TEER 4 and 5, please see TEER 4 and 5 occupations section below.
• If the occupation requires licensure or certification, the intended candidate must apply to the regulatory body to have their qualifications and skills assessed and/or pass an examination (https://immigratemanitoba.com/work/regulated-occupations/).

TEER 4 and 5 occupations in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region must be ranked “Very Good” for Job Outlook over the next three  years in the National Job Bank website:  Labour market information – Explore the market – Job Bank.

If the wage rate is less than the NOCs median prevailing wage for the region, the employer must consider additional factors to assist by:

• Provide access to affordable housing and transportation until the worker can obtain their own means of transportation in remote areas where transportation is not readily accessible.
• Pay the fees for the TFW’s work permit.
• Pay the transportation costs (i.e., airfare) of the TFW’s to the work location in Canada and repatriation costs should the TFW be terminated and plans to return to place of origin.

Provide reasonable access to assistance with all aspects of settlement including information on registering for Manitoba Health, schooling (for children if applicable), banking, obtaining identity documents, etc.

The following positions are ineligible:

• Temporary or seasonal
• Part-time employment (less than 30 hours per week)
• Commission-based
• Home-based
• Not based in Manitoba

Employers are required to:

• Advertise for (4) continuous weeks immediately preceding the employer application submission to Employer Services.
• Advertise continuously on the Government of Canada Job Bank throughout the entire recruitment process and provide the “Activity Report” from the Employer Portal in Government of Canada Job Bank to verify the public interest in the advertised positions.
• Post ads in the MB Start Job Matching Unit’s (JMU) website and provide proof of recent and on-going correspondence with the JMU to gauge results.
• Post ads in the Work in Manitoba Job Portal.
• Utilize (1) additional methods of recruitment that are consistent with the occupation (targets an audience that has the appropriate education, professional experience and or skill level required for the occupation).

Manitoba Start connects businesses to a world-class workforce and offers intercultural supports that build workplace diversity. With pools of skilled, Manitoba job-ready permanent residents, Manitoba Start offers employers quality staffing solutions, work placement programs and follow-up supports. For more information, call 204-942- JOBS (5627) or email jobs@manitobastart.com.

• General employment websites
• Employer career websites
• Online classified websites (Indeed, Kijiji, Local Job Shop)
• 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 
• Local, regional and provincial/territorial employment centres
• Magazines and journals (for example, national journals or magazines, professional associations magazines, specialized journals)
• Participation at job fairs
• Partnering with training institutions or offering internships/bursaries 
• Professional recruitment agencies
• Consultations with unions for available labour  
• Advertising through professional associations
• Recruitment within the company (for example, considering internal candidates for the position) 
• Contacting schools and post-secondary institutions in your area
• Aboriginal Careers website

• Company operating name
  • Business address
  • Title of the position and National Occupation Classification (NOC)
  • Skills requirements (includes education and work experience)
  • Job duties (for each position, if advertising for more than one vacancy)
  • Terms of employment (project-based, permanent position)
  • Wage (a wage range can be used for the purposes of complying with the advertisements; however the minimum wage in the range must meet median prevailing wage rate for that occupation, in the applicable region)
  • Benefits package offered (if applicable)
  • Location(s) of work (local area, city or town)
  • Contact information: telephone number, email address, fax number and mailing address

Employer Services will work with employers to determine an effective recruitment method(s) for recruiting overseas or outside of Canada workers, when all local avenues have been exhausted. This may include referrals to federal programs, including:

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program
• Global Skills Strategy
• Global Talent Stream
• Express Entry Program
• International Mobility Program: Mobilité francophone

The Employer Direct Initiative is not intended to replace the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).