Which industries and regions across Canada saw the biggest increases in base pay and gross pay?
Employers relying on standard annual raises to keep their people may be underestimating the retention risk.
Including overtime and bonuses, gross pay for job-stayers rose 4.4 per cent in September, against 9.9 per cent for job-changers, ADP Canada reported – up from 9.6 per cent for changers in August.
ADP tracks anonymized payroll records for roughly 1.6 million private-sector workers over 12 months.
Base pay for job-stayers in Canada rose 3.0 per cent year-over-year in September 2026, while workers who moved to a new employer saw base pay climb 5.6 per cent, according to ADP Canada.The stats are the same as those for August.
Base pay by sector, region
When it comes to the median change in annual base pay for September, ADP found considerable variation by age:
- 15-24 3.1%
- 25-34 3.5%
- 35-54 3.0%
- 55-85 2.8%
In looking at 10 of Canada's industries, ADP found manufacturing, education and health services came out on top:
Regionally, Prince Edward Island easily came out on top for the median median change in annual base pay for September, at 4.5%:
Projected salary increases for 2027
Mercer Canada's July 2026 survey of more than 470 organizations found employers plan total salary increases of 3.2 per cent in 2027, according to Canadian HR Reporter's report.
Normandin Beaudry projected 3.1 per cent, excluding freezes, according to an early survey showing a cautious approach to 2027 salary increases.
Darcy Clark, senior principal of compensation at Normandin Beaudry, links steady budgets to easing retention pressure. "But by and large, on a macro level, the retention risk that we saw in 2022 and 2023 is mitigated so plan sponsors can ratchet down their salary increase budgets," Clark told Benefits and Pensions Monitor.
