Salaries are expected to grow by 3.7% in 2024 in Quebec, according to forecasts from employers, all sectors combined.
The workers in the sectors who should benefit the most from the increase are those in professional and technical services, indicated the Order of approved human resources advisors, which presented this assessment on Thursday at a press conference and discussions with human resources experts.
The agriculture and forestry sectors are expected to follow, as are the manufacturing and transportation sectors, which are expected to benefit from increases of around 4%.
In contrast, these Quebec employers expect public administration workers to obtain “more modest” increases.
According to these human resources experts, bosses in all sectors, including small and medium-sized businesses, must take into account the high expectations of workers, generated by inflation and the relative scarcity of labor.
However, the number of vacant positions is indeed decreasing and the employer-employee imbalance favorable to employees is diminishing, experts argued during the discussions. They report a lot of worker displacement over the last 18 to 24 months, but this phenomenon is easing.
As for employers who believe that they will not have the means to grant such salary increases, human resources experts point out that there are other ways to retain employees, such as offering teleworking, bonuses and leave.