Mental health coverage gains traction across this industry
Alberta Blue Cross has released a guide to help small and mid-sized businesses in Alberta’s technology sector attract, engage, and retain skilled workers through health benefits – a strategy the organization says can help smaller employers compete with large tech companies without matching their salaries or office perks.
The guide, titled Winning the talent war: Using health benefits to attract top tech professionals, was published Monday, to coincide with Canadian Innovation Week.
Growing pressure on small employers
Alberta’s technology sector has added 60,000 jobs in the past five years and now accounts for nearly 9% of the province’s total workforce, according to the Information and Communications Technology Council’s Alberta’s Digital Economy: Outlook 2030 report, published in March 2025. That growth has intensified competition for developers, engineers, and information technology specialists – a challenge that falls heavily on smaller employers that lack the resources of major technology companies.
Large tech firms have long used high-profile perks such as on-site gyms, gourmet meals, and nap pods to attract workers. The Alberta Blue Cross guide, however, argues that health benefits can serve as a practical and cost-conscious alternative.
What tech workers want
According to the 2025 Canadian IT Hiring Trends and Salary Guide for Employers, 80% of Canadian tech workers said they would look for a new job if required to return to the office full time. The guide notes that smaller businesses and startups are positioned to capitalize on that sentiment by offering flexibility alongside meaningful benefits.
The 2022 TAP Network Benefits Survey found that 67% of Canadian tech companies had implemented a mental health strategy, while 45% were considering Health Spending Accounts to add flexibility to their plans. The same survey identified improved benefits and greater flexibility as the primary focus areas for tech employers seeking to attract and retain workers.
The guide states that today’s tech recruits value autonomy over where and how they work, access to mental health support, personalized benefits, and opportunities for career growth.
Benefits as a business case
The guide outlines three business arguments for investing in health benefits: faster and more successful recruitment, improved employee retention, with nearly half of Canadian businesses crediting strong benefit plans for helping keep staff, and higher productivity from employees who experience less burnout and fewer sick days.
Benefit options highlighted in the guide include prescription drug coverage, extended health and dental care, vision care, virtual care and telemedicine, Employee and Family Assistance Programs, short- and long-term disability insurance, critical illness insurance, Health Spending Accounts, and Wellness Spending Accounts.
Staying current
The guide covers how to build a competitive benefits package, communicate that package in job postings and interviews, improve onboarding practices, and measure the effectiveness of a benefits program over time.
The guide also advises small tech businesses to monitor competitor job postings, industry reports, and networking events to keep pace with benefit trends. It notes that return-to-office mandates at larger companies present an opportunity for smaller employers to differentiate themselves by emphasizing flexibility and personalized support.
