--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/the-state-of-private-sector-electronic-labour-exchange-services-in-canada/" title: "The State of Private Sector Electronic Labour Exchange Services in Canada" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:29:34+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:29:34+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "e-recruitment" - "electronic labour exchange" - "HRSDC" - "internet" - "Job Bank" - "job board" - "labour market matching" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Labour Markets" - "Technology and Innovation" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # The State of Private Sector Electronic Labour Exchange Services in Canada Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/the-state-of-private-sector-electronic-labour-exchange-services-in-canada/ # The State of Private Sector Electronic Labour Exchange Services in Canada [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2011-01-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Alexander Murray. 2011. “The State of Private Sector Electronic Labour Exchange Services in Canada.” CSLS Research Report 2011-01. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/the-state-of-private-sector-electronic-labour-exchange-services-in-canada/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Alexander Murray Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2011-01 February 2011 49 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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The first is to provide a descriptive overview of the services offered by private sector electronic labour exchanges (ELEs) in Canada. The second is to assess those services in terms of their likely effects on labour market matching, their accessibility, and the degree to which they satisfy the needs of all Canadian jobseekers and employers. The report finds that there is a robust private sector in ELE services in Canada. The private sector provides a broader range of services than the main public sector alternative, Job Bank. However, there are key areas in which the private sector does not deliver adequate services. The public sector, through Job bank, can take the lead in providing specialized job-search services tailored toward groups with unique labour market needs. L’objet de ce rapport est double. Le premier est de fournir une vue d’ensemble descriptive des services offerts par le secteur privé des services de placement électronique (SPE) au Canada. Le deuxième est d’évaluer l’accessibilité de ces services, leur incidence probable sur l’équilibre entre l’offre et la demande sur le marché du travail, ainsi que la mesure dans laquelle ils répondent aux besoins de l’ensemble des chercheurs d’emploi et des employeurs canadiens. Le rapport fait état de la solidité du secteur privé des SPE au Canada. Le secteur privé fournit un plus large éventail de services que la principale option du secteur public, Guichet emplois. Par contre, il existe certains domaines clés où le secteur privé n’offre pas de services adéquats. Le secteur public, par l’entremise de Guichet emplois, peut jouer un rôle de premier plan dans la prestation de services de recherche d’emploi spécialisés adaptés aux groupes ayant des besoins particuliers sur le marché du travail. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2011-01-1.pdf)