Canadian survey shows which generations push for promotions, raises
Nearly four in 10 Canadian workers feel their careers have stagnated, according to a recent survey.
Overall, 18% of workers have never gotten a pay raise or promotion.
Another 18% have not seen any career progression in the past two years, found Express Employment Professionals.
About a quarter (24%) of Canadian professionals expect to be promoted within this year, according to a previous LinkedIn report.
Among those who have received a raise or promotion, the most common reasons include the following, according to Express:
Among workers who have been promoted or gotten a pay raise, 69% say their employer proactively gave it to them, more than double the 31% who say that they proactively requested it, found the survey of 505 Canadian hiring decision-makers and 505 Canadian adults, conducted between November and December 2024.
Previously, Dell noted that remote workers will not be considered for promotion, or be able to change roles, according to a report from Business Insider.
Are the younger generations entitled? Gen Z (40%) and millennials (34%) rank highest among Canadian hiring managers on the entitlement scale, and Canadian job seekers agree, but rank millennials (42%) significantly above Gen Z (26%).
However, the majority of hiring managers (61%) say that younger workers today are just as ambitious as older generations were when they started — and what is perceived as entitlement is actually a hunger to succeed and rise through the ranks, found the Express Employment survey.
In fact, while most job seekers (90%) who received a raise or promotion feel entitled to it, the youngsters are far less likely to feel this way compared to the older generations of workers:
Hiring managers, though, say that raises and promotions at their company are determined mainly by performance evaluations (47%) and individual accomplishments (42%). Only about 1 in 5 (21%) take account of an employee’s desires in decisions around raises and promotions.
"As we look at the changing workplace, it's clear that every generation has its own way of seeking growth and recognition,” says Bill Stoller, Express Employment International CEO. “Whether it's seen as entitlement or ambition, the push for raises and promotions shows employees’ desire to move forward and make meaningful contributions in their careers.”
Here’s a guide to fair and legal promotions in Ontario, according to Paulette Haynes, founder of Haynes Law Firm, a boutique employment law firm in Toronto.
For workers, showing a strong work ethic is one way to get promoted, according to Indeed.
Here’s how to demonstrate that in the workplace, according to the job board:
Source: Indeed
Looking ahead, more than two-thirds of companies expect wages to increase in 2025 compared to last year, according to the Express survey. However, nearly 6 in 10 (57%) employers fear it will not be enough to prevent employees from leaving for better wages and benefits elsewhere.
Among Canadian job seekers, half (51%) expect overall wages will stay the same in 2025 compared to 2024, while 37% expect wages to increase and 13% expect wages to decrease.
Canadian employers are scaling back salary increase budgets for 2025, moving closer to pre-pandemic norms, according to a previous Normandin Beaudry report.
