Build and refine the best Human Resources practices for managing your teams.

You need to understand the current business environment, but you also need to know what’s changing. Data from across Canadian industries and regions will help you see where you excel and where you can grow. We crunch the numbers for you, and provide digestible information so you can make quick decisions.

  • How do you compare with your peers and competitors?
  • How do you measure up?
  • What’s Canada up to?
Woman inspecting solar panels

See our latest research on Canadian HR metrics.

Access research

Highights

Over 200 organizations across Canada gave us the following key highlights.

Icon

7.9%

Voluntary (or employee-initiated) turnover in 2020.

Icon

5.4%

Involuntary (or employer-initiated) turnover in 2020.

Icon

10 days/year

How many days an average employee is absent.

Icon

$823,890

Sales generated per FTE, compared to a cost per FTE of $276,352 for total rewards.

Icon

47.7%

Percentage of the workforce that is female.

Icon

2.6%

Percentage of working people living with disabilites.

Icon

20.7%

Percentage of workforce identified as being from racialized group (visible minority). 1.8% of the workforce is identified as Indigenous.

Icon

67%

Percentage of workforce that is engaged.

Data pulled from our 2020 HR Metrics survey.

Get the HR metrics data tables for free

Participate in our survey!

Learn more

Interested in a benchmarking report customized to your organization?

Connect with us

New Release

Talent Trends: Languishing and the Great Attrition

COVID-19 and lockdowns in 2020 provided volatile conditions for employees and employers. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp contraction in economic activity in Canada. Roughly 3 million Canadians lost their employment in March and April 2020, and millions more worked reduced hours. The unemployment rate peaked at in May 2020 but recovered over the second half of that year as the economy tentatively reopened.

Data briefing  |  12-min read  |  January 14, 2022

Recent and Upcoming Releases

Watch for our updates on related HR topics. These monthly releases will break down information by region and industry.

Emerging Trends (May 2022)

The last two years have changed the way we work and has made us reconsider ways of working, both from an employer and an employee point-of-view. While we know things have changed, data on how this is impacting workplaces is still quite sparse. This episode we hear how the Conference Board of Canada’s Human Capital team is working to fill in the gaps in HR trends and metrics.

We explore: what’s really happening with Canada’s “great resignation”; how to approach employee engagement; why some companies are adjusting their engagement strategies to deal with current and future challenges; and how where you work (remote, onsite or hybrid) is impacting these key metrics. These trends provide critical insights into the workforce and workplace of the future.

Lauren Florko  |  13-min listen
Podcast  |  May 18, 2022

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify
Participate in survey
View all podcasts

Health and Safety (April 2022)

Nearly one quarter of organizations do not have a short-term disability program in place for their employees. Culture plays a key role in the mental and physical well-being of employees. By promoting safety and demonstrating leadership, organizations are working minimize health and safety risks and encourage wellness.

Online experience  |  2-min read
April 6, 2022

Access the research

Absence (March 2022)

Larger organizations (5,000+ employees) had significantly higher absenteeism than smaller organizations. This may be a sign that employees in smaller organizations were striving to cover disruptions and may be languishing (the opposite of flourishing) or engaging in presenteeism.

Online experience  |  2-min read
March 1, 2022

Access the research

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (February 2022)

Despite identifying diversity, equity, and inclusion as top priorities many organizations are still not tracking these metrics. Only 44 per cent of organizations surveyed tracked representation across equity-deserving groups, and only 30 per cent conducted pay equity analyses. Some organizations are expanding how they view and track diversity and considering ways to measure inclusion.

Online experience  |  2-min read
February 28, 2022

Access the research

Engagment (January 2022)

Most organizations measure employee engagement—and for good reason. An engaged workforce is a win-win for employees and employers. Engaged employees feel that they have a sense of purpose, enjoy their job and colleagues, and would recommend their organization to others. Engagement translates to increased sales, better customer satisfaction, greater productivity, and greater employee retention—leading to better financials overall.

Issue briefing  |  10-min read
January 27, 2022

Access the research

Turnover (December 2021)

In fiscal 2020, voluntary turnover was higher than expected, likely due to the unique stressors of COVID-19, early retirements, and talent shortages. The highest rates of voluntary turnover were seen at the management and professional job levels and in industries that provided scientific, professional, or technical services.

Online experience  |  3-min read
December 3, 2021

Access the research

For a deeper conversation on Canadian HR metrics, please contact: Lauren Florko

Intersected circles

Become a subscriber

Complete access human resources package

Critical intelligence in the war for talent. We prepare you and your organization for the workforce of today and tomorrow.

Learn more

Media contacts

For all requests, including reports and interviews, please contact:

Deb Young

media@conferenceboard.ca

Taylor Gadde

media@conferenceboard.ca

Toll-free*

1-866-242-0075

*From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET; after hours, please send an e-mail.

Woman examining data on computer

Access our research

Access to the Conference Board’s reports is free of charge to professional journalists upon request.

Access our experts

Our experts are available to share research insights. Contact us.