Conducted from late June to August and with input from almost 400 participants, the survey revealed that organizations plan to adjust their salary structures upwards by a conservative 2 percent and award on average a 2.5 percent increase in base salaries. Both the low digits and the less than 1 percent difference between the two figures indicate a wait-and-see attitude.

This is supported by the noticeable lack of discrepancy in pay policies across industries, provinces, and job categories – everyone is displaying a uniformly cautious approach.

Despite the caution shown by employers, early indications of recovery are emerging. One notable such sign is the number of organizations that expect to lift the blanket pay freezes they held for 2009. For 2010 only 20 percent of organizations in Canada, plans a blanket pay freeze, a significant drop from 2009’s 33 percent.