Manitoba's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 4
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PAYWORKS
MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
p Employees at Winnipeg-based Payworks celebrate the news that one of their colleagues has successfully obtained her Canadian citizenship.
Manitoba’s magic is in the mix
Manitoba has it all with economic diversity, stability and deep-rooted community spirit
I
t’s a combination that makes Manitoba such a rock-solid place to build a
business. “Manitoba has everything
from agriculture to manufacturing,
airplanes to finance and insurance,” says
Richard Yerema, executive editor at
Mediacorp which runs the Manitoba’s Top
Employers (2026) competition. “The
competition presents a very stable
economic picture year-over-year but also
showcases a much more diverse economy
than many Canadians might realize.”
That’s something Manitoba’s Top
Employers (2026) already understand.
Many of the same organizations appear on
the winners’ list year after year, a testament to the province’s long-term stability.
Overall, the picture is one of a place where
people can build a career across multiple
very different sectors, not just one
dominant industry.
What truly sets Manitoba’s winners
apart, however, is how they invest in the
growth and development of their people.
Typical examples include Magellan
Aerospace, Winnipeg that covers 100 per
cent of tuition per year for job-related
studies as well as offering a variety of
in-house training initiatives. Similarly,
Efficiency Manitoba, Johnston Group,
and Payworks all invest in targeted
training, skills-gap bridging and employee
education, ensuring their employees are
prepared for the future.
Manitoba’s top employers also distinguish themselves with notably family-friendly policies, competitive with
leading companies nationwide. Kristina
Leung, managing editor at Mediacorp,
points out that the region offers strong
support for maternity leave top-up as well
as flexible health plans and hybrid work
models, making it easier for employees to
manage work and caregiving
responsibilities.
Vacation practices are more generous
too with a faster progression. Leung says a
higher percentage of Manitoba employers
will bump up most employees’ vacation at
five years or less, compared with employers in other regions (that participated in
Top Employer competitions), where staff
may wait between seven to 10 years before
going from three to four weeks.
On the community side, Manitoba has a
deeply ingrained culture of giving back.
Leung notes that roughly 70 per cent of
this year’s winners offer paid time off to
volunteer, which again is higher than
other regions, signalling a solid commitment to building community.
Employers don’t just write cheques; they
show up in person. For instance, regional
airline Calm Air International LP sends
staff north to host holiday feasts in
Nunavut communities such as Baker Lake
and Chesterfield Inlet, as well as running a
softball tournament in Churchill to
support the local team.
When you add in a well-educated
multicultural workforce, a wealth of
natural resources and a great central
location in North America, you can’t beat
Manitoba.
– Diane Jermyn
