Key Takeaways:
A new monthly pay indicator for Canada's labor market will begin publishing Sept. 3, offering real-time wage growth data drawn from payroll records of roughly 1 million workers.
ADP Research, the data-driven research arm of the human-resources company, will launch ADP Canada Pay Insights on Sept. 3 at 8:15 a.m. ET, the company said Wednesday. The recurring monthly report will serve as an independent labor market indicator tracking year-over-year pay growth for job-stayers and job-changers across the Canadian private sector, using anonymized payroll transaction data from approximately 1 million workers.
"The Canadian economy is being reshaped by demographic change and the emergence of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and pay can serve as a barometer of labor market health," said Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. "This new indicator, built on near-real-time payroll data, will track pay growth and worker mobility to gauge the strength and direction of the Canadian labor market."
The report will feature the national median annual pay level and the year-over-year pay growth rate, with breakouts by firm size, industry, gender, age and province. ADP said it will use a unique matched-sample methodology to track individual anonymized workers over a 12-month period, enabling granular analysis of wage changes for those who stay with the same employer versus those who switch jobs. The company said it is the only labor market report in Canada leveraging actual payroll transactions with individual matched employee tracking over time.
Why a private-sector wage tracker matters now
The new indicator arrives as Statistics Canada, the national data agency, continues to grapple with survey response rates that have not fully recovered since the pandemic. Ali Jaffery, chief economist at KPMG Canada, said the agency has had to increase its reliance on online surveys without the aid of an interviewer, potentially affecting data quality. ADP's payroll-based approach — drawing on data from roughly one in five employees in the Canadian markets it serves — offers a high-frequency alternative that could provide a more timely read on wage trends.
Statistics Canada each month publishes a labor force survey that samples about 65,000 households, as well as a less timely survey of payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies and employment insurance statistics. ADP's monthly report will sit alongside these official indicators, similar to how its U.S. private-sector jobs data offers an alternative to the Labor Department's employment report.
What the data will show
Each monthly release will publish a national pay level figure highlighting the median annual pay for job-stayers, alongside that month's year-over-year percentage change. The report will distinguish between two worker categories: job-stayers, who have remained with the same employer over a 12-month period, and job-changers, who have switched employers within the last 12 months. Wage growth for job-changers typically runs higher than for job-stayers, making the split a useful gauge of labor market tightness and worker mobility.
ADP said the report will be distributed free of charge as part of its commitment to provide labor market insights to businesses, governments and the public. The monthly data and historical file, as well as a full schedule of recurring releases, will be available on a dedicated ADP Canada Pay Insights page beginning in September.
"As the payroll provider for one in five employees in the Canadian markets we serve, ADP Canada has the size and scope of data to provide a unique view of how pay is trending for workers in Canada," said Jim Lord, president of ADP Canada. "This new pay report can further empower businesses by leveraging data-driven insights on the workforce and emerging trends so they can stay ahead and prepare for the future of work."
The inaugural release is scheduled for Sept. 3, 2026, with recurring monthly reports to follow.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
