Ineffective return to office mandates, the demographic squeeze, labour mobility and pay equity
🚰 On tap this week
Good morning ☀️,
Several topics tackled this week, with a dive into return to office orders and why they do not seem to work according to recent data. Reluctancy to lose high performers through the chain of command makes enforcing those rules very difficult for companies.
We also released the second edition of our Monthly Press Review, an analysis of labour-related press articles, and the key trends that come out of it.
We also look at new labour mobility rules in Ontario which could be a game-changer in the opening of interprovincial borders (finally?), an update on Canada’s demographic challenges as the last wave of baby-boomer is hitting retirement, an update on pay equity in Canada and how staffing firms can be positioned to champion it, and a review of the new trade deal between Canada and Indonesia: some define it as a game-changer, but is it really?
Happy reading!
Minh Dang - Editor in Chief - The Canadian Labour and Staffing Journal
Write to: mdang@staffingjournal.ca
Roles to watch in October 2025 - The Monthly Press Review
Across Canada, labour market signals this month paint a complex but revealing picture: healthcare systems under pressure, housing projects accelerating, universities expanding, and trade-exposed industries facing headwinds. Taken together, these stories hint at where new opportunities and new shortages will likely emerge in the coming months.
Why Return to office orders are not doing what bosses expect
Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported that despite stronger return-to-office (RTO) mandates across major U.S. companies (Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Paramount, The New York Times, among others), average office attendance has barely budged. Employers are struggling to enforce mandates. High performers often face minimal consequences if they don’t compl…
Ontario’s new labour mobility rule could redefine Canada’s workforce
Beginning January 1, 2026, Ontario will adopt a sweeping labour mobility regulation that could reshape hiring dynamics across Canada. For the first time, regulated professionals certified in another province will be able to work in Ontario within just ten days of applying to the relevant regulatory authority. The change, under the Ontario Labour Mobilit…
Canada’s demographic squeeze. What an ageing workforce means for jobs and staffing
Today’s unemployment rate is high as economic circumstances are unfavourable for job creation. However, under the hood, Canada is at a crossroads. The country’s largest generation (the baby boomers) is heading into retirement just as population growth slows. For decades, these workers anchored the labour force. Now, as they step away, the country faces …
Canada’s new trade deal with Indonesia: modest job gains, targeted opportunities
Canada has just signed a landmark trade agreement with Indonesia, its first with a member of the fast-growing ASEAN bloc. Ottawa has billed the deal as a pathway to doubling trade with the world’s fourth most populous country within six years. But what does this mean for Canadian workers and, in particular, for staffing firms that match talent with oppo…
Beyond placements: staffing firms as champions of pay equity
In downtown Toronto, at a busy marketing firm, two employees join the same creative meeting: a woman and a man, both in their early thirties, both with master’s degrees in communications. Yet when they compare salaries afterward, the man learns he is earning about ten percent more. The discovery is uncomfortable, but not unusual. Across Canada, the gend…