Eckler survey reveals that salary increases will continue to surpass inflation

The national average base salary increase for 2025 is projected at 3.6%; with BC leading all provinces at 3.9%.

TORONTO, CA, September 16, 2024 — According to Eckler’s third annual compensation planning survey, the national average base salary increase for 2025 is projected at 3.6% (excluding planned salary freezes). This is below 2024’s actual increases of 3.8%.

“As inflationary pressures dissipate, planned salary increases are moderating more slowly; resulting in larger real compensation increases for employees,” said Anand Parsan, National Compensation Practice leader at Eckler.  “We are beginning to see a reversion to pre-pandemic norms.”

There is more certainty in 2025 salary budget planning

The survey revealed that only 18% of organizations remain undecided about 2025 salary budgets, versus 58% in 2024.

“As the labour market continues to rebalance, organizations are shifting their attention towards effectively managing their compensation programs. How they communicate their total rewards package to employees, how transparent they are with compensation, how effective and equitable are their pay programs,” said Parsan.

The results indicate that some sectors continue to have limited budgets and are projecting compensation freezes. Participating healthcare organizations (44%) and education organizations (21%) expect to freeze compensation in 2025.

Key results by province, territory, and industry:

  • Western provinces, Alberta and British Columbia, are projecting the highest average salary increases with a range of 3.6% to 3.9%, with British Columbia being the highest projection.
  • The lowest anticipated salary increases range from 3.1% to 3.2% for Yukon and Prince Edward Island, respectively, with all other provinces forecasting 3.3% to 3.5%.
  • Map of Canada displaying the regional results for Eckler’s 2025 compensation planning survey. The national salary increase is highlighted at 3.6%. Each province and territory is labeled with its respective projected salary increase percentage. British Columbia (BC) at 3.9%, Alberta (AB) at 3.8%, Saskatchewan (SK) at 3.5%, Manitoba (MB) at 3.5%, Ontario (ON) at 3.7%, Quebec (QC) at 3.6%, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) at 3.1%, New Brunswick (NB), Nova Scotia (NS), and Prince Edward Island (PEI) are grouped together with a percentage of 2.8%. The three territories, Yukon Territory (YT), Northwest Territories (NT), and Nunavut (NU), have percentages of 3.1%, 3.2%, and 3.4% respectively.
  • The highest projected average salary increase by industry is expected to be in Real Estate (4.2%).
  • Healthcare (2.8%) and Education (2.9%), even with projected freezes removed, reported the lowest projected salary increases.

Benchmarking and job descriptions are a priority for 2025

When asked about their top HR initiatives for 2025, the majority of respondents indicated that current job descriptions and salary benchmarking were key priorities.

The top HR initiatives reported include:

  • Having up-to-date job descriptions (56.1%)
  • Participating in salary benchmark surveys (55.4%)
  • Enhancing total rewards strategies to be more well-rounded, flexible and employee-centric (46.6%)
  • Conducting and/or producing more resources and education training on compensation for people leaders (36.3%)
  • Adopting a new or enhanced compensation management system or HRIS (31.5%)
  • Conducting a pay equity analysis (30.6%)

Increased scrutiny around pay transparency, pay equity legislation, and reporting are forcing employers to take greater accountability towards providing effective communication awareness and education around internal compensation programs.

About the Survey

Eckler’s Compensation Planning Survey was conducted from June to August 2024 and collected responses from over 500 Canadian organizations across diverse sectors and industries. The survey results provide critical data on salary, pay administration practices, market trends, and human resource priorities.

About Eckler

Our origins go back to 1927, making us one of Canada’s first actuarial practices. Our expertise knows no boundaries. Our team of more than 400 employees, based in offices and remotely throughout Canada and the Caribbean, works seamlessly across jurisdictions to provide integrated service—no matter where you are. Our head office is located in Toronto, Ontario, and our Canadian operations reach from coast to coast with offices in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, Quebec City, Fredericton, and Halifax.

Eckler’s consultants bring unparalleled expertise to help you reward, manage and support your people.

Media contact

Nancy Lee Martin
nlmartin@eckler.ca

Graph from Eckler’s 2025 Compensation Planning Survey showing year over year base salary increases. The line graph displays a projected decrease in salary increases over the years 2022 to 2025. In 2022, the increase is at 3.1%, dipping slightly in 2023 to 3.0%, then rising to 4.2% in both projected and actual for 2024, and finally decreasing to a projected 3.6% for 2025 with a dotted line indicating uncertainty in the projection. Below the graph, it notes that organizations are heading into salary budget decisions with more certainty - only 18% are undecided about salaries with more surveys (58%) in 2024.
An infographic titled ‘Eckler’s 2025 Compensation Planning Survey’ with a vertical bar graph displaying industry highs and lows in salary increases. The highest increase is in the Real Estate sector at 4.2%, followed by Biotech/Biopharmaceutical at 4.1%, Construction and Agriculture at 2.9%, and Healthcare at 2.8%. A note indicates a national projected salary increase of 3.6%. The color scheme includes shades of blue, green, and red, with each sector represented by a different color. The Eckler logo is present along with their website, eckler.ca, and a contact email at communications@eckler.ca displayed on the bottom of the graphic.
Graphic for Eckler’s 2025 Compensation Planning Survey. It features a prominent title, a bar graph icon indicating growth, and a key highlight stating ‘2025 salary range structure adjustments are 3.3%.’ The color scheme includes shades of teal, blue, and purple with geometric shapes in the background. The website ‘Eckler.ca’ is mentioned at the bottom.
Eckler’s 2025 Compensation Planning Survey. The graphic features a large blue ‘6’ on the left side, indicating six key points from the survey. These points are listed on the right side with corresponding percentages in parentheses: 1. Having up-to-date job descriptions (56.1%), 2. Participating in salary benchmark surveys (55.4%), 3. Enhancing total rewards and employee-centric policies (46.6%), 4. Conducting education training on resources and/or producing more compensation for leaders (36.3%), 5. Adopting a new or enhanced system or HRIS (31.5%), and 6. Conducting a pay equity analysis (30.6%). Below the list is contact information: ‘Contact us: compsurveys@eckler.ca’. The Eckler logo is at the bottom right corner.