A person working in Canada typically earns around 120,000 CAD per year. Salaries range from 30,200 CAD (lowest average) to 534,000 CAD (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average yearly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Salaries in Canada range from 30,200 CAD per year (minimum salary) to 534,000 CAD per year (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher).
The median salary is 112,000 CAD per year, which means that half (50%) of the population are earning less than 112,000 CAD while the other half are earning more than 112,000 CAD. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of the population are earning less than 64,200 CAD while 75% of them are earning more than 64,200 CAD. Also from the diagram, 75% of the population are earning less than 304,000 CAD while 25% are earning more than 304,000 CAD.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.
Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.
Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.
Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.
Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Canada costs anywhere from 49,800 Canadian Dollar(s) to 149,000 Canadian Dollar(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support this tactic. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
The decision really depends on your situation and experience among many other factors. Putting all variables aside, if you can afford the costs of higher education then the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in Canada earn 5% more than their female counterparts on avergae across all sectors.
Male | 122,000 CAD | |
Female | -5% | 116,000 CAD |
Employees in Canada are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 15 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Canada for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Junoir Level | 3% - 5% | |
Mid-Career | 6% - 9% | |
Senior Level | 10% - 15% | |
Top Management | 15% - 20% |
The difference in increment rates is somehow justified because employers put more effort to retain more experienced staff since they are harder to acquire than less experienced ones.
48% of surveyed staff in Canada reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 52% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 5% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 52% | |
No Bonus | 48% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
Finance | High | |
Architecture | High | |
Sales | High | |
Business Development | High | |
Marketing / Advertising | High | |
Information Technology | Moderate | |
Healthcare | Moderate | |
Insurance | Moderate | |
Customer Service | Moderate | |
Human Resources | Moderate | |
Construction | Low | |
Transport | Low | |
Hospitality | Low |
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Accounting and Finance | |
Accountant | 80,600 CAD |
Accounting Assistant | 65,600 CAD |
Accounting Manager | 178,000 CAD |
Bookkeeper | 57,700 CAD |
Chartered Accountant | 104,000 CAD |
Corporate Treasurer | 154,000 CAD |
Financial Analyst | 160,000 CAD |
Financial Manager | 241,000 CAD |
Internal Auditor | 109,000 CAD |
Administration / Reception / Secretarial | |
Administrative Assistant | 65,800 CAD |
Office Manager | 108,000 CAD |
Receptionist | 54,800 CAD |
Secretary | 53,500 CAD |
Advertising / Grapic Design / Events | |
Art Director | 124,000 CAD |
Creative Director | 120,000 CAD |
Graphic Designer | 75,800 CAD |
Photographer | 65,100 CAD |
Airlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense | |
Aerospace Engineer | 154,000 CAD |
Air Traffic Controller | 137,000 CAD |
Flight Attendant | 82,800 CAD |
Pilot | 205,000 CAD |
Architecture | |
Architect | 147,000 CAD |
CAD Drafter | 59,400 CAD |
Automotive | |
Mechanic | 44,600 CAD |
Service Advisor | 80,200 CAD |
Banking | |
Bank Branch Manager | 224,000 CAD |
Teller | 46,700 CAD |
Bilingual | |
Teacher | 93,700 CAD |
Translator | 104,000 CAD |
Business Planning | |
Business Analyst | 154,000 CAD |
Business Development Manager | 191,000 CAD |
Project Manager | 148,000 CAD |
Care Giving and Child Care | |
Nanny | 47,900 CAD |
Nursery Teacher | 46,200 CAD |
Construction / Building / Installation | |
Civil Engineer | 111,000 CAD |
Construction Project Manager | 204,000 CAD |
Health and Safety Officer | 52,400 CAD |
Customer Service and Call Center | |
Call Center Representative | 45,300 CAD |
Customer Service Manager | 170,000 CAD |
Customer Service Representative | 44,400 CAD |
Engineering | |
Civil Engineer | 107,000 CAD |
Electrical Engineer | 116,000 CAD |
Engineer | 109,000 CAD |
Mechanical Engineer | 118,000 CAD |
Executive and Management | |
Chief Executive Officer | 268,000 CAD |
Chief Financial Officer | 243,000 CAD |
General Manager | 220,000 CAD |
Project Manager | 140,000 CAD |
Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering | |
Chef | 72,500 CAD |
Executive Chef | 90,400 CAD |
Hotel Manager | 225,000 CAD |
Receptionist | 46,100 CAD |
Travel Agent | 72,400 CAD |
Waiter / Waitress | 37,600 CAD |
Health and Medical | |
Dentist | 274,000 CAD |
Dietitian | 242,000 CAD |
Laboratory Technician | 93,400 CAD |
Nurse | 95,500 CAD |
Human Resources | |
Human Resources Manager | 178,000 CAD |
Human Resources Officer | 74,900 CAD |
Information Technology | |
Computer Technician | 92,600 CAD |
Database Administrator | 124,000 CAD |
Developer / Programmer | 117,000 CAD |
Information Technology Manager | 189,000 CAD |
Network Engineer | 99,400 CAD |
Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | |
Police Officer | 72,100 CAD |
Legal | |
Attorney | 244,000 CAD |
Legal Assistant | 61,900 CAD |
Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment | |
Journalist | 137,000 CAD |
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology | |
Biomedical Engineer | 98,500 CAD |
Pharmacist | 151,000 CAD |
Sales Retail and Wholesale | |
Cashier | 43,700 CAD |
Sales Manager | 199,000 CAD |
Sales Representative | 78,000 CAD |
Teaching / Education | |
Elementary School Teacher | 83,000 CAD |
Secondary School Teacher | 95,900 CAD |
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
City | Average Salary |
Brampton | 122,000 CAD |
Calgary | 126,000 CAD |
Edmonton | 125,000 CAD |
Gatineau | 115,000 CAD |
Halifax | 117,000 CAD |
Hamilton | 124,000 CAD |
Kitchener | 121,000 CAD |
Markham | 119,000 CAD |
Mississauga | 127,000 CAD |
Montreal | 134,000 CAD |
Ottawa | 128,000 CAD |
Quebec | 126,000 CAD |
Regina | 113,000 CAD |
Richmond | 107,000 CAD |
Saskatoon | 115,000 CAD |
Surrey | 118,000 CAD |
Toronto | 134,000 CAD |
Vancouver | 129,000 CAD |
Vaughan | 117,000 CAD |
Windsor | 116,000 CAD |
Winnipeg | 124,000 CAD |
State | Average Salary |
Alberta | 129,000 CAD |
British Columbia | 131,000 CAD |
Manitoba | 124,000 CAD |
New Brunswick | 110,000 CAD |
Newfoundland-Labrador | 108,000 CAD |
Northwest Territories | 120,000 CAD |
Nova Scotia | 113,000 CAD |
Nunavut | 125,000 CAD |
Ontario | 134,000 CAD |
Prince Edward Island | 104,000 CAD |
Quebec | 132,000 CAD |
Saskatchewan | 116,000 CAD |
Yukon | 106,000 CAD |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Canada earn 4% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 117,000 CAD | |
Public Sector | +4% | 122,000 CAD |