What happened
Candidate silence is getting attention in Ontario. In a piece reported by HRD Canada, the headline puts a 45-day limit on how long candidates in the province are left waiting.
The report also touches on small business hiring, and treats it with some humour, bringing in an 80s power ballad and a purple rabbit as ways to fix it. Its blunt point about candidates is that many in Canada would settle for a call back.
The details are not all clear from what has been shared. The report does not say here how the 45-day limit is enforced, which employers it covers, or what counts as a response. Check the full article and the Ontario government's guidance before you change policy.
Why it matters if you are hiring
The signal is clear even without the fine print. Candidates are tired of waiting, and a clock now sits over the wait. For small and mid-sized employers, who often hire without a dedicated recruiter, the risk is greatest. A plant manager who interviews three people for a line lead role and then gets pulled onto the floor can easily let weeks pass. So can a controller hiring an AP clerk during month-end.
Silence has a cost beyond compliance. Good candidates take other offers. Those who do not hear back tell others, and in a tight market for skilled trades, finance and operations people, word travels fast. A clear answer, even a no, protects your name.
The practical decisions are about ownership and timing. Someone needs to own each requisition, with a date by which every interviewed candidate hears something. Hiring managers need to know that date before the first interview, not after.
One thing to do this week
Pull every open role and every interview from the past 60 days. List the date of the last contact with each candidate. Anyone approaching 45 days without an answer gets a short, honest message this week, and every open role gets a named owner and a decision date.
Traverse has placed operations, contract, manufacturing, sales and finance people with Ontario employers since 1997, and we keep candidates informed at every step, so your hiring process does not lose good people to silence.
