How to differentiate your veterinary practice as an employer in 2026.
We continue to see challenges attracting and retaining competent, qualified employees in the Ontario Veterinary sector. In 2023, we reported on trends in DVM recruitment; be sure to refer to that article to read about creative recruitment and retention ideas for your practice. For this article, we looked at industry trends affecting employment in 2026 – giving you insight on how to differentiate your workplace to candidates and employees, some tips on international recruitment and finally a look at current veterinary position compensation data.
Current Trends:
Demand is still going strong
- Need for additional staff including DVMs, RVTs and support staff
- Practices in remote areas have fewer candidates
Salaries and wages are up
- With a limited number of grads, there is strong competition with other veterinary practices and local businesses for the best candidates
Consumer price sensitivity
- Customers are sensitive to price increases while operating costs continue to climb
Consolidation and corporatization
- Loss of knowledge and experience of retiring practice owners/DVMs
Improvements in technology
- Technology improves efficiency, pet health care and workload
What’s in it for Them? (Not You)
Gone are the days where employers had a range of candidates to select from. Nowadays, DVMs and RVTs have several job opportunities in their geographic areas to choose from. Non-technical employees and candidates have local options, potentially with better hours, benefits and sometimes better pay.
What is the value proposition for a prospective employee to choose your job vacancy over another? Your employee strategy is critical to competing in today’s online labour market.
Why Join Us?
Job ads need to, in very few words, differentiate what your practice offers to prospective employees. At the top of our standard job ad, you will often find a Why Join Us? or Why Work Here? section full of good reasons a candidate might choose to apply. The following are ideas intended to help get you thinking about how you might position your job ads and help you recognize and communicate the great things you may already be doing.
“Work for the best leaders”
Besides your customers, employee relationships are one of the most important relationships in your business. Effective leadership is about managing these relationships, holding employees accountable, and being consistent with how you manage issues. Build your leadership skill set through training and development.
“Work here and get hands-on learning”
COVID impacted student learning and experience, and this shows with newer grads who are starved for hands-on, practical learning. Being a hands-on, teaching-focused Practice may help draw graduates to your practice. Be prepared to teach!
“We have your back”
Prioritize your employees’ wellness and safety at work. Protect workers from rude and abusive customers. Debrief traumatic incidents. Implement a policy that helps employees manage the customer effectively in conflict situations. Address disrespect and gossip in your workplace. Employees who feel protected at work will feel valued and heard.
“Grow with Us”
Prioritize your employees’ knowledge and development. Ensure employees have opportunities to learn both on the job and through professional development. Commit to annual budgets for learning opportunities for all employees. Help employees see opportunities to grow and develop over time. Source training to use equipment, tools and medications.
“Learn how to be an Owner”
Associate DVMs may not see the draw in becoming an owner/partner with all the operational hassles. Find ways to ease Associates into ownership opportunities and test out their interest and ability to make operational decisions and work strategically. Encourage Associates to set up their own corporations and explore areas of specialty to expand your practice service offerings. Provide them with staff resources to introduce new services.
“Give back to your community “
People are often drawn to businesses with a strong community volunteerism program. Veterinary practices have many opportunities to support local pet owners and animals on a volunteer basis.
“We Pay the Living Wage”
Ontario Living Wage conducts annual studies for the living wage in various areas of the province. Employers can become a certified living wage employer or simply follow the current living wage for its employees.
“For the Love of Animals”
Many people gravitate to the Veterinary industry because of their passion for animals and animal welfare. Harness this passion by showing employees and candidates how your practice goes the extra mile caring for companion animals and their families as well as food source animals.
Manage your Online Reputation
Serious candidates will try to learn as much about your business as possible. Negative online reviews may deter candidates from applying. Check Google, Indeed, Glass Door and other similar websites for negative reviews or posts. Try to respond to or remove negative reviews (customer or employment).
Harness social media by sharing information, tips and funny moments on the job. Show prospective employees what it’s really like to work in your practice. Show off your practice’s volunteerism and social responsibility.
Who are you as an Employer?
Getting employees hired is just the beginning. How do you get them to stay? How you present your workplace online needs to reflect the reality or you risk employee turnover.
Understanding why your current employees stay is an important first step. Consider asking them through an anonymous survey or conduct a stay interview to learn more.
Employees need to see the evidence of your employee strategy every day when they come to work or they may leave. Actions speak louder than words! Since veterinary practices are largely service organizations, motivated and engaged employees could give you a competitive edge.
Hiring Foreign Talent
Looking to hire a DVM from another country? Here are some tips on where to start.
Job Bank
The Job Match service offered by the Government of Canada Job Bank is a great place to start recruiting. The service matches the criteria of your DVM job posting to qualified candidates. You may also find internationally trained veterinarians who are already authorized to work in Canada.
Work Permits
Foreign DVMs require authorization to work in Canada, typically in the form of a work permit. There are two common pathways:
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
This program requires employers to first test the labour market. If you are unable to find a qualified local DVM, your clinic can apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). If the application is approved, the foreign national DVM can use the LMIA to apply for a work permit.
International Mobility Program
Some foreign DVMs may qualify for an LMIA-exempt work permit under Canada’s international agreements. Depending on citizenship and qualifications, veterinarians may fall under the “Professionals” category and be exempt from the LMIA requirement.
Licensing Considerations
Foreign trained DVMs must meet Ontario licensing requirements before practising independently. Ensure the DVM you hire can meet requirements such as licensing exams, credential assessments, or other registration requirements. Timing can sometimes be a challenge, so it is important to discuss licensing status early in the recruitment process. Many foreign-trained DVMs start in a supervised capacity while provincial licensing is being finalized.
Veterinary Compensation Statistics, Ontario 2026
The following are current Province-wide market statistics for common positions found in Veterinary Practices. Please reach out to us if you would like to receive other geographic areas across Canada, specialties, percentiles, level of experience, or positions.
Notes:
The following data reflects the mean data point, based on five years’ experience, in Ontario. Pay increases as experience increases. Mean is a measure of central tendency of a range of data and can also be referred to as an expected value. If you adopt the MEAN wage information, this is a middle of the pack approach to pay; where some practices will pay less and some pay more.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
- Mean Annual Base Salary: $130,731
- Mean Annual Incentives: $13,901
- Mean Annual Total Cash Compensation: $144,632
Based on Years of Experience, Mean Total Annual Cash
| Less than one year: | $ 95,735 |
| Three years: | $110,147 |
| Five years: | $124,468 |
| Seven years: | $138,156 |
| Ten years: | $154,569 |
By Practice Type, Median Annual Compensation (Note: 2025 Data)
| Companion Animals | $140,000 |
| Mixed | $127,750 |
| Food Animals | $120,000 |
| Emergency | $193,600 |
Registered Veterinary Technician
- Mean Hourly Annual Base: $34.60
Veterinary Assistant (non-registered)
- Mean Hourly Annual Base: $22.84
*Note: if your practice is a Living Wage Employer, be sure to check the Living Wage for your area and adjust accordingly.
Office Manager/Administrator
Mean Annual Base Hourly: $35.93
Conclusion
This article is intended to provide a comprehensive look at how you might differentiate your veterinary business in the online labour marketplace and retain top talent. Contact the HR Solutions team at Ward & Uptigrove. We can help you create effective job ads, develop your employee strategy for long-term business success, discuss immigration strategies and provide you with a deeper analysis of the compensation data presented here.
Ontario Living Wage Network. June 2026, https://www.ontariolivingwage.ca/
Economic Research Institute Salary Assessor. June 2026, www.erieri.com
2025 Ontario Report on Compensation and Benefits for Associate Veterinarians. June 2026, https://www.ovma.org/what-we-do/reports-resources