Job Bank review: the Government of Canada's free job site
Public employment service
Job Bank is the Government of Canada's job site. Employers post their jobs there for free, and it also shows jobs shared by partner job boards. Searching, job alerts and the other tools for job seekers cost nothing.
Who Job Bank is for
Job Bank suits anyone looking for work anywhere in Canada. Job Match and Direct Apply are only for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and temporary residents of Canada. Everyone else can still search and set up job alerts.
What Job Bank offers
- Job search across Canada with filters such as hours of work, benefits and salary.
- Job alerts: new postings that match a search by e-mail, once a day.
- Job Match: matches your profile with jobs from registered employers. Needs a Plus account.
- Direct Apply: send a saved resume, or one made with the Resume Builder, straight from the posting. Needs a Plus account.
- Resume Builder with several templates, and an app for phones.
Who pays for what
- Job seekers
- Nothing
- Employers
- Nothing. They register their business and post jobs for free
What speaks for Job Bank
- Free for employers too, and postings from approved employers are marked as verified.
- Searching works without an account.
- Partner postings widen the search beyond the jobs posted on the site.
What speaks against Job Bank
- Job Match and Direct Apply are only for citizens, permanent residents and temporary residents of Canada.
- A Plus account asks for your Social Insurance Number to check eligibility.
- Partner postings send you to other sites to apply.
How to apply
It depends on where the posting comes from. A job flagged Posted on Job Bank comes from a registered employer, and with a Plus account you can apply with Direct Apply. A job from a partner board has a button labelled View the full job posting. It takes you to that site, and you apply there. Searching needs no account.
Where the listings come from
Job Bank has two kinds of postings. Registered employers post jobs directly and for free, and these carry the flag Posted on Job Bank. Next to them it shows postings that partner job boards share under agreements, Indeed and Monster among them. Employers who want to hire a temporary foreign worker in a low-wage position must, as a rule, advertise the job on Job Bank first.
Alternatives to Job Bank
Indeed
Indeed collects job listings from company websites, job boards and agencies and adds its own. What that means for your search, and where it falls short.
LinkedIn
On LinkedIn employers post jobs and recruiters look for candidates. Who it is for, what is free, what costs money and how you apply.
Jooble
Jooble collects job listings from many websites in many countries. Who it is for, what it offers, who pays and how you apply.
The names of the websites are trademarks of their owners. Monday at Nine is not connected with any of them. The reviews are our own assessment.