Job postings for Canada show growing popularity of more relaxed dressed codes: report
Canadian employers are increasingly moving away from traditional business attire in favour of more relaxed dress codes.
This trend is evident in their job postings, according to a recent report from the Indeed Hiring Lab.
As of July 2025, 5.3% of Canadian job postings mentioned casual dress—a slight decrease from a peak of 6.7% in mid-2022, but still above pre-pandemic levels.
“The pandemic triggered widespread changes in how Canadians work, impacting expectations not only about where and how we work but also about what we wear,” says Callam Pickering, economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab.
“Indeed data show a considerable shift in how open employers are to relaxed dress codes. This is observed nationally, regionally, across different sectors, and also globally. Attitudes are more relaxed, less conservative or formal, potentially reflecting the growing influence of Millennials and Gen Z in the workplace.”
When Starbucks recently introduced a new dress code for employees at more than 120 U.S. stores, it triggered a coordinated strike by more than 2,000 baristas, and the issue quickly became a flashpoint in a much broader labour dispute that had already been simmering for over a year, according to a previous report.
Sectoral, regional differences
Sectoral and regional differences are evident in the adoption of casual dress codes, according to the Indeed Hiring Lab’s study.
Sector analysis shows that hands-on and community-facing roles are most likely to promote casual dress. In the June quarter, 19.4% of childcare job postings and 15.2% of sports postings mentioned casual attire—far more than other sectors. Cleaning and sanitation, manufacturing, veterinary, accounting, and therapy also reported above-average mentions. In contrast, technology sector roles rarely mention dress codes, as casual attire is already standard in those fields.
Among provinces, Quebec leads the country, with 6.9% of job postings referencing relaxed attire in the June quarter, followed by British Columbia at 6.1%. The lowest rates were found in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, both at 4.2%.
Indeed suggests these variations may be due to differences in workplace culture and the occupational makeup of each province.
“A casual dress code at work generally allows for considerable freedom in outfit choice, but it's crucial to maintain a professional image with appropriate attire, which excludes overly casual items like sweatpants or overly colorful or patterned clothing,” says the Indeed Editorial Team.
A previous HRD Canada report took a deep five into what “business casual” is.
