Six provinces now require pay disclosure, per Marsh report
Share of employees who believe it's easier to get a pay raise by quitting and rejoining their employer has more than doubled since 2024, from 18% to 42%, Marsh's 2026 Global Talent Trends report finds.
This finding lands as Canada's own patchwork of provincial pay transparency laws continues to expand.
The report, drawn from a survey of nearly 12,000 C-suite executives, HR leaders, employees and investors across 16 countries, found only 22% of HR leaders say their organization transparently shares pay ranges. Globally, 77% of organizations are developing or have developed pay transparency strategies, but full implementation remains limited to just 14%.
In Canada, compliance pressure is mounting from multiple directions. Ontario's new job-posting salary disclosure requirements took effect on 1 January 2026 for employers with 25 or more employees, joining British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and, as of this year, New Brunswick, bringing the total to six provinces with enacted or proposed pay transparency legislation.
Marsh's data suggests the business case extends well beyond compliance. Almost all investors surveyed, 92%, said they would either avoid or reduce investment in an organization with issues related to employee pay, while the firm's separate Global Pay Transparency report found employees who believe they are paid fairly are 85% more engaged and 60% more committed.
The report also found employee "thriving" has collapsed from 66% in 2024 to 44% in 2026, falling to just 9% among lower socio-economic groups, with half of employees now citing higher pay as a top reason for considering leaving their employer, up from a third in 2024.
Gordon Frost, Marsh's global rewards leader, said the trend leaves little room for complacency: "A depleted workforce paired with cynicism about pay creates a precarious moment for employers."
For benefits and total rewards advisors helping Canadian employers navigate the expanding provincial patchwork, the data reframes pay transparency as more than a job-posting checkbox: it is a measurable driver of engagement, retention and investor confidence that clients should be building into total rewards strategy now, not simply reacting to as each new province legislates.
