More than half of Canadian employers are exceeding planned pay budgets to land specialized and AI-fluent workers
Canadian employers are stretching their compensation budgets to secure workers with specialized skills, with AI fluency emerging as one of the most sought-after - and most expensive -capabilities to attract, according to Robert Half Canada's 2027 Salary Guide, released October 1, 2026.
The guide, which draws on survey data from more than 2,850 hiring managers, business leaders, and employed workers across Canada, projects national salary increases of between 1.1% and 1.8% across six professional specializations. But for firms competing for scarce talent, the reality is already running ahead of those averages.
Fifty-five per cent of managers say they are offering pay above their original budgets to win top candidates, with 61% citing specialized skills as the primary reason. And AI fluency is rapidly becoming the most premium capability of all: 63% of employers say they are increasing pay for professionals with relevant AI expertise, with 32% noting that AI-related skills command a greater premium than any other technical competency.
Targeted pay replacing broad increases
The findings reflect a broader shift in how Canadian organizations are approaching compensation. Rather than across-the-board raises, more employers are concentrating spending where the skills shortage bites hardest -a trend likely to resonate with wealth management firms and advisory practices competing for qualified talent in a tightening labour market.
Koula Vasilopoulos, senior managing director at Robert Half Canada, in Toronto, said the growing premium on AI fluency is part of a wider pivot toward skills-based pay strategies.
"Many employers are moving away from broad-based pay increases and adopting more targeted compensation strategies to invest in specialized and hard-to-find skills that support business priorities," Vasilopoulos said.
For wealth management firms navigating succession pressures and practice growth, those dynamics are already well understood. Wealth Professional Canada's 2026 Top Employers report found that leading wealth management firms are treating AI adoption not as a background operational issue, but as a talent and culture question -one that employees are actively evaluating when assessing employers.
Roles expected to outpace the national average
Several roles are projected to see salary growth well above the 1.4% national average for new hires in 2027. In technology, business intelligence developers are expected to see increases of 5.3%, while chief information security officers could see gains of 5.2%. Marketing automation specialists lead all tracked roles at 5.9%.
In finance and accounting -a field with direct relevance to advisory firms' back-office operations -controllers are projected to see 4.1% growth, with senior accountants at 3.6%.
Six in 10 organizations are increasing compensation budgets overall to remain competitive, despite ongoing cost pressures across the Canadian economy.
Transparency becoming standard practice
One of the guide's more significant findings for hiring professionals concerns pay transparency. Ninety-three per cent of employers either use or plan to use external market data to benchmark compensation, and 96% already include -or plan to include -salary ranges in job postings.
For those firms that have embraced transparency, the results are tangible. Forty-nine per cent report attracting a higher-quality candidate pool, 46% say negotiations have become more efficient, and 33% cite a reduction in time-to-hire.
Vasilopoulos said organizations that pair reliable market data with clear compensation practices are better positioned throughout the hiring cycle.
"When organizations combine reliable market data with transparent compensation practices, they can make salary decisions with confidence, set clear expectations with candidates, streamline hiring decisions, and support stronger retention outcomes," she said.
The emphasis on transparency aligns with a shift that wealth management professionals have been navigating for years. As Wealth Professional has previously reported, firms that are explicit about what they offer employees and clients tend to build stronger, more sustainable cultures -a dynamic that applies equally to the adviser recruiting market.
Benefits gaps reveal retention risk
Beyond base pay, the guide identifies material gaps between the benefits employees value most and what employers currently offer -gaps that could present retention risks if left unaddressed.
Flexible work schedules are the most valued benefit overall, with 66% of workers rating them as important compared to just 52% of employers offering them.
Cost-of-living adjustments show the widest disparity: half of workers say they matter, but only 18% of organizations currently provide them. Extended health insurance (valued by 59%, offered by 38%) and employer contributions to retirement plans (valued by 45%, offered by 30%) are also areas where current offerings fall short of worker expectations.
For advisory practices looking to attract and retain experienced planners and client-facing staff, these gaps are not merely an HR concern -they are a business risk in a market where top wealth management employers are differentiating through their total rewards offering.
The full 2027 Salary Guide from Robert Half Canada, including salary projections by role, profession, and geography, is available at roberthalf.com/ca.
