Total rewards: Bonuses, benefits and perks

Name: Rewards that motivate career moves
Creator: Robert Half

2027 Canada Salary Guide

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Job seekers: Explore opportunities and grow your career.

Competitive pay remains essential for attracting and retaining top talent in Canada, but it’s only one part of how professionals evaluate an opportunity. Benefits, bonuses and flexibility help increase the impact of job offers without relying on broad increases in base pay. A robust total rewards strategy can help organizations compete for skilled talent, recognize top performers and strengthen retention.

Hiring managers: Meet with us to get customized salary insights and guidance so you can build offers candidates say yes to.

Optimizing benefits and perks

of job seekers say some types of better benefits and perks could motivate them to change employers even if base salary stayed the same.

of businesses are planning to expand their benefits offerings, while others remain cautious because of rising health and wellness costs.

What's included in competitive offers

Our data highlights several offerings commonly included in employers’ total rewards packages.

Flexible work hours for all employees

Performance-based bonuses

Mental health coverage such as therapy or counselling

Bonus allocation trends

Bonuses are one of the ways businesses reward performance. Some use them to retain top performers while others spread them more broadly around the workforce. Across company sizes, bonus strategies often balance business results and individual contributions.

Small Medium Large Small Medium Large

Think beyond salary

Work-life
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flexibility Financial
incentives Health and
wellness Retirement
planning Work-life
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incentives Health and
wellness Retirement
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What workers value most

These benefits and perks rank highly among professionals, though employers don’t always offer them all. That gap creates an opportunity to strengthen total rewards strategies and to better attract and retain top talent.

Cost of living adjustments

Extended health insurance

High-cost specialty drugs coverage

Employer contributions to retirement plans

Flexible work schedules

Annual raises

Redefining competitive offerings

The widest gaps between what workers value and what employers offer often point to unmet demand—and to the greatest opportunities for targeted improvements.

Graphic title: What employers offer vs. what workers value Cost of living adjustments: 18% of employers offer them; 50% of workers value them. Extended health insurance: 38% of employers offer it; 59% of workers value it. High-cost specialty drugs: 33% of employers offer them; 50% of workers value them. Employer contributions to retirement plans: 30% of employers offer it; 45% of workers value it. Flexible work schedules: 52% of employers offer them; 66% of workers value them. Annual raises: 30% of employers offer them; 41% of workers value them.

Emerging offerings to watch

Employers are evolving total rewards offerings to address employee well-being, manage healthcare costs and meet family-related support needs. These emerging benefits can help organizations stand out with specialized talent and respond to changing employee expectations.

Stress management or coaching programs

Sleep health programs

GLP-1 medications for weight loss

Paid eldercare support programs

Adoption assistance

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

Surrogacy assistance

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More to explore

Labour Market Overview Stay on top of Robert Half and Statistics Canada job posting data to learn about today’s hiring market.

Demand for Skilled Talent Check out our Demand for Skilled Talent report to learn about employers’ hiring plans and needs.

Pay and Compensation Highlights Dive deeper into salary and total rewards trends across a range of professional roles and industries.

Behind Our Numbers Learn how our salary benchmarks reflect accurate marketplace data through a rigorous, multistep verification process.

The salary benchmarks in the Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process designed to reflect projected market trends for 2027. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has placed nationwide, along with third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use for independent validation. Learn more about our salary methodology.

Non-salary data referenced in the Canada Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. Respondents include hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.