I'm just finishing up my degree at a university in canada and will be applying for PGWP in May. I've received a job offer in office administration (NOC 0) but its a contract position for a year - I will have to do my own taxes. Will this count as 1 year of skilled experience for me? Thanks.
Unfortunately, the previous replies seem to have missed the part about you paying your own taxes. This probably means that you will be considered self-employed, and the work experience will be considered "ineligible".
"Contract position" can mean different things.
1) You can have "contract employment" - the key word being "employment" - which is just a term-limited position (such as a one or two year contract), but usually includes employment benefits, and the employer makes the statutory deductions (pays the taxes); you receive a T4 at the end of the tax year. This is considered "employment" and is eligible.
2) You can be a "contractor" - AKA, independent contractor, consultant, and for tax purposes, sole proprietor. You pay your own taxes, you submit invoices, you receive a T4A at the end of the year. This is "self-employed," and not eligible.
This is the simple answer to a complex issue that includes employers inappropriately hiring workers as contractors instead of employees (sometimes called "dependent contractors" in some provinces, but deemed an inappropriate misclassification at the Federal level), tax headaches at federal and provincial levels, and other things you generally would want to avoid. But it also appears to be extremely common in some industries.
https://leckerslaw.com/contract-workers-and-taxes/
https://www.employmentlawtoday.com/article/37685-the-ever-increasing-liability-of-mischaracterizing-employees-as-contractors/
In general, if your employer/client treats you as an independent contractor, IRCC will exclude the work experience. There are options for attempting to reclassify your work experience as "employment" but it is not guaranteed, and you run the risk of angering your employer.
If your goal for your first year of employment is simply to qualify for CEC, I would pass on this opportunity, and find a true employment situation.