Ottawa's children's hospital named second best employer in Canada

CHEO is seen in this undated file photo. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is being recognized as one of Canada's best places to work.

Forbes Magazine's Canada's Best Employers in 2024 list, made in partnership with market research firm Statista, ranked CHEO as the number two organization or company in Canada to work for, just behind The Hershey Company.

In addition, Canada's Top 100 Employers named CHEO as a top employer in the National Capital Region for the 12th year in a row.

"Three years into a global pandemic, CHEO staff, medical staff and learners pulled together to respond to an extremely challenging viral season at the end of 2022," the hospital said in a press release.

"It is against this backdrop that CHEO receives accolades for its supportive environment, competitive compensation, and opportunities for career growth."

The Forbes Best Employers in Canada list is based on survey data compiled by Statista. Some 12,000 participants at organizations of more than 500 employees were asked to assess aspects of their employer, such as working conditions and potential for growth.

CHEO was the number one pediatric health-care organization to work for in Canada, number one hospital in Ontario and in the top three of Canada's health employers.

"CHEO is well-known for being a special place for children, youth and their families. And we work really hard to make it equally special for our staff, medical staff, learners and their families as well," said Alex Munter, CHEO’s president and CEO in the release.

"We are humbled by these designations and grateful to our staff for their continued dedication, passion and can-do spirit – which is part of CHEO’s secret sauce."

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Carleton University, both in Ottawa, were also given high marks, ranking at number 10 and 12, respectively.

Gatineau-based Elections Canada and Parks Canada both cracked the top 10.

CHEO employs over 2,500 doctors, nurses, and other professionals who manage nearly 7,000 admissions, more than 7,000 surgeries and almost 200,000 clinic visits each year.