This Toronto Employer Has Started Paying Candidates For Job Interviews & Here's Why

Interviewing for a new job can be stressful on your mental health and your wallet, from transportation to time away from work, but one Toronto company will now compensate you for that time and energy.

FoodShare Toronto, a food-centric non-profit organization, has started paying candidates invited to interview with them a flat rate of $75 per interview with additional compensation for any further work required of a candidate as of March 1, 2022.

FoodShare Toronto executive director Paul Taylor told Narctity that this move has been in the works for "a long time" and combats the status quo of "problematic" hiring practices.

"We realize that when you interview for a job that is a labour – it's a lot of labour, and employers have been expecting people to do that labour for free, and we think that's absolutely bizarre," said Taylor.

Taylor noted that interview candidates often have to take time off work, find suitable child care and pay for transportation to attend interviews which are usually held during the day. Not to mention those interviewing for positions while unemployed.

"It can be really demoralizing to be putting resumes out, especially if you are unemployed and not getting a callback and watching your savings shrink up or almost evaporate," he said.

"So if someone gets called for an interview and they are in that position and FoodShare is able to say, 'Well, we're going to give you $75 for you coming in and the labour associated with that interview,' that can be really significant for someone."

The initiative was brought on by internal conversation and the company's overall stance on equity and justice in the workplace and aligns with other current practices like paying living wages and offering an interest-free emergency loan program to employees alongside 20 wellness days and four weeks of vacation.

Since announcing FoodShare Toronto's new program, Taylor says he's been getting messaged on LinkedIn by HR managers and companies wanting to learn more, and he hopes more companies follow suit.

"We want to see a bigger change. We want to see communities get supported. So that's going to be for now employers taking this on and running with it until we can mobilize enough to get the government to prioritize making some of these things legislation."

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.