Employer Hub

Choosing a staffing partner is about more than filling a single role. The right relationship should make hiring feel more manageable, more strategic and more consistent over time.

A few things are worth evaluating early in the process:

• Does the firm understand the types of roles and industries you hire for?  

• Can they clearly explain how they source, screen and validate candidates?  

• Will you have a consistent point of contact who learns your organization and hiring preferences?  

• Do they communicate transparently about timelines, market conditions and expectations?  

• Can they provide measurable outcomes, not just broad claims about quality?  

The strongest staffing relationships tend to feel collaborative, responsive and consultative, not transactional.

Learn more about our specialties, industries and skillsets.

There is no fixed timeline in Canadian employment law that automatically converts a contractor into a common law employee. Instead, courts and tribunals look at the overall working relationship.

Factors that can increase reclassification risk include how much control the organization has over the worker’s day-to-day activities, whether the worker works exclusively for one employer, who provides equipment and whether there is an ongoing expectation of continuous work.

When contract workers are engaged through a staffing firm acting as employer of record, the risk profile is different than when engaging an independent contractor directly. Because every situation is unique, employers should seek legal guidance when needed.

A diverse supplier is a business that is majority owned and operated by individuals from underrepresented groups. In Canada, that may include women, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.

Many organizations across the public and private sectors now include supplier diversity goals as part of their procurement strategy. In some cases, particularly within government and large enterprise procurement, working with certified diverse suppliers may support reporting requirements, partnership commitments or broader ESG and DEI objectives.

Beyond procurement targets, supplier diversity also helps organizations broaden perspectives, strengthen community impact and build more inclusive business networks.

Altis is a certified diverse supplier and proudly woman-owned. We believe diverse teams and inclusive hiring practices lead to stronger outcomes for employers, candidates and communities alike.  

Learn more about DEI & inclusive hiring at Altis.

A replacement guarantee is a commitment from a staffing firm to replace a permanent hire at no additional fee if the placement ends within a defined period, typically between 60 and 90 days.

It’s worth asking about the firm’s actual replacement rate. A consistently low replacement rate is often a strong indicator of hiring quality than an unusually long guarantee period.

At Altis, our replacement rate remains below 2%, which means replacement guarantees are rarely needed in practice.

A staffing firm helps organizations source, screen and hire talent across a range of role types and seniority levels, including temporary, contract and permanent positions. Depending on the engagement, the firm may also act as the employer of record for contract workers, managing payroll and employment compliance.

An executive search firm typically focuses on senior leadership and specialized hires, often through retained search engagements that involve deeper market mapping, targeted outreach and a longer hiring timeline.

At Altis, we support both professional staffing and executive search. That means you can work with one recruitment partner across different hiring needs as your organization grows and changes.

Learn more about our Executive Recruitment.

An employer of record (EOR) is the legal employer for a contract or temporary worker. When a staffing firm acts as employer of record, it manages payroll, tax remittances, employment standards compliance and other employer obligations on behalf of the client organization.

For employers, this can significantly reduce administrative complexity and help support workforce flexibility, particularly when scaling teams quickly or bringing on contract talent.

It also helps ensure workers are managed in accordance with applicable provincial employment legislation and payroll requirements across Canada.

Skills-based hiring focuses on what a candidate can actually do, rather than relying too heavily on credentials, job titles or years of experience alone.

For many employers, this approach opens access to a broader and more diverse talent pool, especially in hard-to-fill markets where strong candidates may come from less traditional backgrounds. It can also help organizations hire for adaptability and potential as roles continue to evolve quickly.

In practice, skills-based hiring often means reassessing which qualifications are truly essential, using structured assessments alongside interviews and evaluating transferable experience more intentionally.

For organizations navigating talent shortages or changing workforce needs, skills-based hiring can be a practical way to improve both hiring outcomes and long-term workforce resilience.

Temporary staffing is typically used to cover short-term needs such as employee leave, seasonal demand or hiring gaps. Temporary employees are employed by the staffing firm, which manages payroll, statutory deductions and applicable benefits.

Contract staffing is often used for project-based work or specialized expertise over a defined period of time. In most cases, the staffing firm also acts as employer of record for contract placements.

Permanent staffing, sometimes called direct hire recruitment, is when the candidate becomes your employee from day one. The staffing firm manages sourcing, screening and recruitment, then transitions the successful candidate directly to your organization.

Read next: The strategic advantage of contract work and when to use it.

The more context you share upfront, the stronger the hiring outcome tends to be.

Beyond the job description itself, it helps to explain why the role is open, what success looks like in the position, what kind of person tends to thrive on the team and where there may be flexibility in the requirements.

Good recruiters are doing more than matching keywords to resumés. They’re assessing fit, motivation, communication style and long-term alignment. The more they understand about your organization, leadership style and hiring priorities, the more targeted and effective the search becomes.

One of the most valuable parts of the recruitment process is often the intake conversation itself. That early alignment helps reduce miscommunication, improve candidate quality and move the hiring process forward more efficiently.

Direct hiring can work well when you have internal recruitment capacity and the time to run a full hiring process.

A staffing partner becomes especially valuable when hiring timelines are tight, you don’t have the time or knowledge in the skillset, the role is difficult to fill or you need access to qualified candidates who are not actively applying to job postings.

For temporary and contract staffing, agencies can also take on employer of record responsibilities, helping reduce administrative burden and employment compliance risk for your team.

Many Canadian employers use both approaches at the same time: running a direct hiring process while partnering with a staffing firm for hard-to-fill or time-sensitive roles.

Learn more about how working with a staffing firm actually works.

Ontario legislation that received Royal Assent on March 21, 2024, and came fully into effect on January 1, 2026. It amends the Employment Standards Act and introduces new obligations for Ontario employers around job postings, candidate communications, AI disclosure and record-keeping.

It applies to employers with 25 or more employees in Ontario who publicly advertise roles performed in Ontario paying up to $200,000 annually. It covers permanent, contract, temporary and part-time roles but does not apply to federally regulated employers, employers who only engage contractors or internal postings.

As of January 1, 2026, publicly advertised job postings must include a compensation range no greater than $50,000, a statement disclosing whether AI was used to screen, assess or select applicants and a note indicating whether the posting is for an existing vacancy or a future pipelining opportunity. Postings must not include any requirement for Canadian work experience. Employers must also notify any candidate who has had an official interview whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview and retain all posting and candidate communication records for a minimum of three years.

For a full breakdown of what Bill 149 means for your hiring process, read our guide here.

This is a plain-language summary and not legal advice. For questions specific to your organization, consult an employment lawyer.

A blended workforce combines permanent employees, temporary staff and contract professionals to support changing business needs.

For many Canadian employers, this approach provides flexibility during periods of growth, restructuring, seasonal demand or project-based work. It allows organizations to scale teams more efficiently without committing every role to a permanent headcount.

Managing a blended workforce successfully requires clear communication, defined responsibilities and consistent processes across both internal teams and external staffing partners.

A bridging hire is a temporary or contract placement used to keep a team or function running while a permanent hiring process is underway.

These hires are often used when an employee leaves unexpectedly, when hiring approvals take longer than expected or when organizations need immediate support while planning for a long-term solution.

A strong bridging hire helps maintain continuity and reduce disruption during periods of transition.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) uses specific criteria to determine whether a worker is considered an employee or an independent contractor for tax purposes.

Classification matters because it affects payroll obligations, tax remittances, CPP contributions, EI premiums and overall employer responsibilities.

The CRA looks at several factors when assessing a working relationship, including:

• the level of control over the work  

• who provides tools and equipment  

• financial risk and opportunity  

• how integrated the worker is within the organization  

Misclassification can create significant financial and legal risk for employers. When contract workers are engaged through a staffing firm acting as employer of record, those responsibilities are typically managed by the firm.

Contingency search is a recruitment model where the staffing firm is only paid if a candidate is successfully hired.

This approach is commonly used for professional and mid-level hiring and can work well when organizations want recruitment support without committing to an upfront retained search fee.

Because the firm assumes the financial risk of the search, contingency recruitment often works best for roles with realistic hiring timelines and clearly defined requirements.

A contract extension is an agreement that extends the duration or scope of an existing contract assignment.

Extensions are common when projects evolve, timelines shift or organizations want to retain specialized talent longer than originally planned.

In the federal government, contract extensions may be subject to procurement rules and approval processes. In the private sector, extensions are typically coordinated between the staffing firm, the client organization and the contract worker to ensure alignment on timelines, responsibilities and expectations.

A direct hire, also known as a permanent placement, is when a candidate becomes an employee of the client organization from their first day of work.

In this model, the staffing firm manages sourcing, recruitment and screening, then transitions the successful candidate directly to the employer once the hiring decision is made.

Direct hire recruitment is often used for long-term positions where organizations want to build permanent internal capability and reduce ongoing turnover.

An employer of record (EOR) is the legal employer responsible for payroll, statutory remittances and employment compliance for a contract or temporary worker.

When a staffing firm acts as employer of record, it manages responsibilities such as payroll processing, CPP and EI remittances, income tax deductions and compliance with applicable provincial employment standards legislation.

For employers, this can reduce administrative complexity and provide greater workforce flexibility, particularly when scaling contract teams or managing short-term hiring needs.

Employment standards are provincial and territorial laws that establish minimum workplace requirements, including wages, hours of work, overtime, vacation, public holidays, leaves of absence and termination notice.

Because employment legislation varies across Canada, organizations operating in multiple provinces may have different compliance obligations depending on where employees are located.

When a staffing firm acts as employer of record, it is typically responsible for ensuring placed workers are managed in accordance with the applicable provincial employment standards legislation.

Essential qualifications are the minimum skills, experience or requirements a candidate must meet to be considered for a role.

Clearly defining these requirements at the beginning of a hiring process helps improve candidate quality, streamline screening and reduce time spent reviewing applicants who are not aligned with the core needs of the position.

Strong hiring outcomes often come from distinguishing between what is truly essential for success in the role and what may simply be considered a preferred qualification.

A hard-to-fill role is a position that remains open longer than expected due to talent shortages, specialized skill requirements, market competition or evolving business needs.

These roles are common in highly competitive sectors, emerging specialties and positions requiring niche experience or technical expertise.

Successfully filling hard-to-fill roles often requires proactive sourcing, flexibility around requirements and access to strong talent networks beyond active job applicants.

Working with a specialized staffing partner can help organizations reach qualified passive candidates and reduce time-to-fill for critical positions.

High-volume hiring refers to recruiting a large number of employees within a defined timeframe.

This type of recruitment is common during organizational growth, large-scale projects, seasonal demand, program expansion or workforce transformation initiatives.

High-volume hiring campaigns often require structured processes, coordinated communication, scalable screening and dedicated recruitment support to maintain both speed and candidate quality.

For many organizations, partnering with a staffing firm helps reduce pressure on internal HR teams while keeping hiring timelines on track.

Human-led screening is a recruitment approach that combines structured evaluation with real human judgment, rather than relying only on automated filters or AI-driven screening tools.

At Altis, every candidate is interviewed by a recruiter before being presented to a client. That process helps us assess not only technical qualifications, but also communication style, motivation, reliability and overall fit for the role and team.

Our 3:1 submission-to-hire ratio reflects that approach. We focus on presenting a smaller number of highly aligned candidates, rather than overwhelming hiring managers with volume.

Inclusive hiring refers to recruitment practices designed to reduce barriers and create fair access to opportunities for candidates from underrepresented groups.

In Canada, inclusive hiring is shaped by legislation such as the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Employment Equity Act and provincial human rights codes.

In practice, inclusive hiring may include:

• accessible interview processes  

• broader sourcing strategies  

• removing unnecessary credential requirements  

• structured and consistent candidate evaluation  

• interviewer training focused on reducing bias  

Inclusive hiring is not about lowering standards. It’s about creating a more equitable hiring process and ensuring strong candidates are not overlooked because of unnecessary barriers.

Altis incorporates DEI-informed sourcing and screening practices as part of our recruitment approach.

Learn more: altis.com — Inclusive & Accessible Hiring in Canada

Markup refers to the amount added to a contract worker’s hourly pay rate to cover employment costs and staffing services.

Depending on the arrangement, markup may include payroll taxes, statutory remittances, benefits, administrative support, recruitment costs and account management services.

Because staffing needs can vary significantly based on role type, specialization, contract length and workforce structure, markup is tailored to the specific engagement rather than offered as a flat standard rate.

The most effective staffing partnerships focus on overall value, candidate quality and long-term outcomes, not just the lowest bill rate.

Onboarding is the process of helping a new employee or contract worker successfully transition into their role and organization.

A strong onboarding experience helps new hires become productive more quickly, improves engagement and can significantly impact long-term retention.

For temporary and contract staffing arrangements, onboarding responsibilities are often shared between the staffing firm and the client organization. Typically, the firm manages payroll setup and employment documentation, while the client oversees role-specific training, equipment, system access and team integration.

Clear communication and a well-structured onboarding process help create a smooth experience for both employers and new hires.

A permanent placement, also known as a direct hire, is a recruitment arrangement where the candidate becomes an employee of the client organization from their first day of work.

In this model, the staffing firm manages sourcing, screening and recruitment, then introduces qualified candidates for the employer’s consideration.

Permanent placement fees are typically based on a percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary, and many agencies include a replacement guarantee for a defined period following the hire date.

A replacement guarantee is a commitment from a staffing firm to replace a permanent hire at no additional fee if the placement ends within a specified period, typically within the first 60 to 90 days.

When reviewing a replacement guarantee, it’s important to look at more than just the length of coverage. Employers should also understand:

• what circumstances are covered  

• whether both resignation and termination are included  

• any conditions that could affect eligibility

Retained search is a recruitment model where an organization engages a search firm on an exclusive basis and pays a portion of the fee upfront.

This approach is typically used for senior leadership, highly specialized or confidential hiring mandates that require dedicated market research, targeted outreach and a more strategic search process.

Because retained searches involve significant time, expertise and proactive talent mapping, the upfront fee reflects the firm’s commitment of resources throughout the engagement, regardless of the final hiring outcome.

Skills-based hiring is an approach that evaluates candidates based on demonstrated capabilities and transferable skills, rather than relying primarily on credentials, titles or years of experience.

This approach can help organizations access broader talent pools, improve hiring flexibility and identify strong candidates who may have non-traditional career paths or adjacent experience.

In practice, skills-based hiring often includes structured assessments, practical evaluations and a more intentional focus on potential alongside past experience.

As workforce needs continue to evolve, many employers are rethinking which qualifications are truly essential and where adaptability and capability may matter more.

The interpersonal and behavioural capabilities that determine how an employee works with others and navigates challenges, including communication, adaptability, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and collaborative problem solving.  

Soft skills are difficult to assess through a resumé and are best evaluated through structured behavioural interviews and direct recruiter screening. They are also among the hardest qualities to develop once someone is hired, which makes assessing them well at the front end of a search one of the highest-leverage parts of the process.  

At Altis, our human-led screening specifically looks for these qualities before a candidate is ever presented to a client.

Sourcing is the proactive process of identifying and engaging potential candidates who may not have applied directly to a role.

Effective sourcing helps organizations reach passive candidates: professionals who are currently employed and not actively job searching, but who may be open to the right opportunity.

Strong sourcing strategies combine market knowledge, relationship-building and ongoing talent engagement to create deeper candidate pipelines and reduce time-to-fill for key positions.

Altis maintains active talent networks across professional, administrative, technology, finance, non-profit and government sectors to help employers access qualified talent more efficiently.

A statement of work (SOW) is a document that outlines the scope, deliverables, timelines and responsibilities associated with a contract engagement.

A clear SOW helps align expectations between all parties by defining:

• what work will be completed  

• project timelines and milestones  

• payment terms  

• responsibilities and deliverables  

Well-defined statements of work help reduce misunderstandings, support accountability and create stronger project outcomes for both organizations and contractors.

Submission-to-hire ratio refers to the number of candidates a staffing firm presents for every one successful hire.

A lower ratio often indicates stronger screening, better alignment and a more targeted recruitment process. Rather than sending large volumes of resumés, agencies with lower submission-to-hire ratios typically focus on presenting a smaller number of highly qualified candidates.

At Altis, our average submission-to-hire ratio is 3:1, reflecting our emphasis on thoughtful screening, human-led evaluation and long-term fit.

Talent advisory is a consultative service that supports organizations beyond day-to-day recruitment needs.

This may include workforce planning, salary benchmarking, hiring process improvement, organizational design input and guidance around permanent versus contract workforce strategy.

Talent advisory can be especially valuable for organizations experiencing growth, restructuring or evolving workforce demands, particularly when internal HR teams are balancing strategic planning alongside ongoing hiring needs.

Rather than focusing only on filling roles, talent advisory helps organizations think more proactively about long-term workforce success.

A talent pipeline is a network of pre-screened and pre-qualified candidates who are ready, or nearly ready, for future opportunities.

Maintaining active talent pipelines allows organizations and staffing partners to respond more quickly when hiring needs arise, reducing time-to-fill and minimizing disruption when key roles open unexpectedly.

Strong pipelines are built through ongoing relationship management, proactive sourcing and continuous engagement with candidates across specialized talent areas.

Altis maintains active talent pipelines across professional administration, technology, finance, non-profit and government sectors to help employers access qualified talent more efficiently.

Temp-to-perm is a hiring arrangement where a candidate begins in a temporary or contract role with the possibility of transitioning into permanent employment later on.

This approach gives both the employer and the candidate an opportunity to assess fit before making a long-term hiring commitment.

For employers, temp-to-perm hiring can reduce the risk of a misaligned permanent hire while maintaining immediate operational support. For candidates, it offers the opportunity to better understand the organization, leadership style and role expectations before transitioning permanently.

Conversion terms and timelines are typically agreed upon with the staffing firm at the beginning of the engagement.

Time-to-fill measures the number of calendar days between opening a position and having an accepted offer in place.

Hiring timelines can vary significantly depending on the role, industry, market conditions and level of specialization required.

Setting realistic time-to-fill expectations early in the recruitment process helps organizations plan more effectively, align internal stakeholders and reduce frustration throughout the hiring cycle.

A strong staffing partner should communicate transparently about market conditions, candidate availability and expected timelines so hiring teams can make informed decisions and maintain momentum.

Workforce planning is the process of assessing your current workforce, anticipating future talent needs and identifying gaps between the two.

Effective workforce planning helps organizations make more informed hiring decisions, reduce reactive recruitment and better prepare for growth, restructuring, succession planning or changing business priorities.

This process may include:

• forecasting future hiring needs  

• evaluating workforce capabilities  

• identifying critical skill gaps  

• planning for retirements or turnover  

• determining the right mix of permanent, contract and temporary talent  

Strong workforce planning helps organizations stay proactive rather than reactive, especially in competitive or rapidly evolving labour markets.

As part of broader talent advisory support, staffing partners may also provide market insights, salary benchmarking and workforce strategy guidance to help employers plan with greater confidence.