Canadian employers are increasingly willing to pay above expected salary ranges to attract hard-to-find talent, particularly candidates with specialized skills in artificial intelligence (AI), according to Robert Half’s latest salary survey.

“Employers are not necessarily increasing pay equally across every role but they are willing to make stronger offers for those roles that are more hard to fill,” Meena Dube, senior practice director, vice-president technology, marketing and creative with Robert Half told PeopleNX in an interview.

The 2027 Canada Salary Guide from Robert Half found that 55 per cent of respondents offer top talent salaries above expected ranges, while 61 per cent said specialized skills are most in demand.

“Whenever organizations are hiring, when it comes to very specific skill sets, there are times where they do have to go outside of that range because those skills are very difficult (to source), and then specialized and emerging capabilities, especially relevant to AI skills, are really influencing employers to differentiate these offers and step up,” Dube said.

Skills such as communication, problem solving, leadership and strong business acumen remain highly sought after.

AI skills in demand

The guide was compiled from data of more than 360 roles, over 91,200 salaries and included information on more than 15,000 skills, according to Robert Half. Respondents to an online survey included 1,365 hiring managers and over 1,500 professionals from small, medium and large firms in Canada.

The guide has been regularly published by the staffing firm since 1950.

Sixty-three per cent of hiring managers are increasing salary offers for candidates with AI skills or training.

However, for organizations lacking these skills, AI training is key to upskilling the existing workforce.

“It doesn’t have to just be on the technology because at the end of the day, it’s automation making things simpler. These tools allow many people who are working, and it doesn’t matter what your role is, it could speed things up, and it makes them more valuable.”

Six in 10 firms are offering higher salaries to new hires amid rising business costs, the survey found. “Compensation has become more targeted,” Dube said.

Despite concerns that AI could eliminate jobs and lower overall compensation, she said this is not the case.

“AI continues to reshape hiring and talent needs but we’re not seeing evidence that it’s reducing salaries.”

There also remains a demand for workers with more human skills, she said. “For example, organizations continue to need people who can still provide judgment, manage relationships, solve very complex problems and make highly strategic decisions.”

“The professionals likely to benefit from AI are those who learn how to work with AI rather than just competing against it.”

Impact of new legislation on salary ranges

Pay transparency legislation is also influencing HR practices. The survey found that 70 per cent of respondents go beyond legal requirements for salary transparency, while 96 per cent of firms include salary ranges in job postings.

“In fact, this really helps employers align offers with the rules. It’s also reducing time to hire because you’re not having everybody under the sun apply for these jobs and you’re not going back and forth when it comes to salary negotiations as much as it used to be before,” Dube said.

The survey showed that 49 per cent of hiring managers found better candidate pools, while 33 per cent reported less time to hire because of the new requirements.

Transparency is also benefiting employees who have a better sense of where they stand within an organization, she said.

“For professionals, transparent ranges and reliable benchmarks just provide such a strong foundation for evaluating and negotiating an offer.”

The findings show that employers are competing intensely for skilled workers, Dube said.

“Robert Half does not predict the direction of the broader economy but we provide a view of how employers are adjusting compensation and competing for skilled talent, and it’s not going anywhere.”

“There’s still major competition out there for skilled talent,” she said.