Salaries for HR professionals in Canada will increase an average of 1.6 per cent in 2026, with compensation and benefits professionals seeing the highest gains at 2.5 per cent, according to Robert Half’s 2026 Canada Salary Guide.
The staffing firm’s annual report shows HR managers and generalists will see salaries rise 2.4 per cent as their roles evolve to include new strategic and technological responsibilities.
Digital transformation is driving the salary increases, according to the guide. Ninety-one per cent of HR teams will participate in a major digital transformation initiative in the next two years, the report states.
Digital skills command premium pay
Forty-two per cent of HR leaders are willing to increase starting salaries for roles supporting critical business needs, while 39 per cent identify finding skilled digital talent as a top priority for the next two years, according to Robert Half.
Eighty-one per cent of HR leaders agree that professionals with specialized skills are paid more than peers without them in the same role, the guide states. Fifty-six per cent are most willing to increase salaries for candidates with specialized skills or certifications above other factors during negotiations.
The top five HR skills commanding higher wages, ranked by demand, are HR strategy and execution; technology implementation such as AI; HRM knowledge; learning and development; and compensation and benefits management, according to the report.
Compensation concerns persist
Seventy-five per cent of HR leaders worry about keeping pace with compensation expectations through 2026, the guide states.
The report shows compensation managers earn between $75,500 and $125,000 annually, while compensation analysts make between $88,000 and $107,000. Benefits managers earn $82,500 to $110,000, and benefits specialists make $74,000 to $91,250, according to the salary ranges provided.
Robert Half’s salary data is based on actual compensation for professionals the firm has placed with employers across Canada and third-party job posting data from Textkernel, according to the methodology section of the guide.
The non-salary data comes from online surveys conducted by independent research firms for Robert Half, with respondents including hiring managers and workers from small, midsize and large organizations across Canada, the report states.
