Raises across Canada are falling short of expectations with B.C. employees achieving below-average wage increases, according to management consulting firm Hay Group.
Hay released data August 19 that found that the projected average Canadian salary increase in 2013 is 0.1 percentage point lower than the 2.9% forecast last year.
The projected national salary increase in 2014 is 2.6%. In B.C., the expectation is that workers will get a 2.3% wage increase next year. That's down from the 2.7% wage hike that was forecast for B.C. this year.
Alberta, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan retained the highest projected increases, spurring Vancouver senior principal Rachel O'Connor to suggest that it is the resource sectors in those provinces that led to strength in salary increases.
"B.C. is below the national average for salary increases because the provinces that are driving up the national average are those with strong natural resource economies," she said.
She said that although B.C. has natural resources, its economy is more diversified.
"Our economy isn't being driven by oil and gas, by mining right now the same way as some of the other provinces," O'Connor added.
Hay's survey included information from 518 companies, non-profit organizations and public-sector employers including 77 in B.C.
