What kinds of benefits, options and perks do small business owners highlight when trying to lure top employees to their company? That's the question the American Express Small Business Monitor and Angus Reid Public Opinion sought to answer when they conducted an online survey among a randomly selected sample of 568 Canadian small business owners with two to 100 employees.
| Rank | Ways of attracting talent | Percentage |
| 1 | Flexible work hours | 70% |
| 2 | Independence | 63% |
| 3 | Work from home options | 41% |
| 4 | Career development opportunities | 31% |
| 5 | Higher pay than offered by other small businesses | 27% |
| 6 | Opportunities for advancement | 27% |
| 7 | Dynamic business culture | 25% |
| 8 | Profit-sharing | 17% |
| 9 | Higher pay than offered by large businesses | 13% |
| 10 | Comprehensive benefits | 11% |
— The survey was conducted from January 25 to February 2, 2011, and has a margin of error for the total sample is +/-4.0%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the Statistics Canada Business Register’s most current business size and region statistics to ensure a representative sample of the entire population of small business owners in Canada.
