Frequently-Asked Questions

Organizations submit their data through COIRI’s survey questionnaire during the collection period (September-November each year). Participants receive results at a reduced cost and can access the complete reports on COIRI’s Clarity platform. Visit the Survey Participation page to register or to see current timelines.

Yes. Individual employer data is never published or shared. Results are reported in aggregate, with minimum sample sizes so no single organization can be identified.

Absolutely. COIRI’s participant base is made up largely of small and mid-sized organizations, so smaller employers can compare themselves to peers rather than to large corporations.

National consulting firms survey large employers across Canada and beyond, which suits organizations that hire nationally. COIRI focuses on Ontario and includes many small to mid-sized employers, so participants see results from organizations closer to their own size and labour market. The right choice depends on who you compete with for talent.

For more information: Why COIRI?

Clarity is COIRI’s online platform for viewing survey results. Users can compare roles, create custom reports, filter data by region, industry, annual revenues, union status, and organization. You can save your searches in the platform or export them to Excel or PDF.

COIRI is an Ontario-based provider of employer-reported compensation, benefits, and HR policy data. Most participants are small to mid-sized organizations, with a strong base in manufacturing. HR professionals use COIRI data to set pay ranges, plan increases, and compare their policies to other Ontario employers.

Competitive compensation means your total pay and benefits are close enough to the market that you can attract and keep the people you need. For most organizations that means paying near the market median for comparable roles. Some employers choose to lead the market for hard-to-fill jobs.

See also: Is Your Pay Competitive? How Ontario Employers can Align Compensation with Market Rates in 2026

Compare executive roles to organizations of similar revenue and headcount, since scope drives executive pay more than title. A VP at a 150-person manufacturer has a very different job from a VP at a national firm. Look at total cash compensation, including bonuses and incentives, and not just base salary. Clarity provides both compensation and benefits insights for executive and management roles across Ontario companies of all sizes.

See also: Variable Pay in Ontario 2026: Bonus, Incentive and Profit-Sharing Trends

Use data from other manufacturers in your region, since plant wages vary a lot by location and sector. Hourly production roles also need more than base rates. Shift premiums, overtime practices, and allowances can make a real difference to what a job is worth in your local market.

Clarity is an online tool that lets you quickly mine millions of data points sourced directly from Ontario companies to find the answers you need to make the right HR decisions.

See also: Beyond the Hourly Rate: How are Production Roles Being Compensated?

Start by matching each of your roles to a survey job description based on duties and level, not title. Then pull market data for organizations like yours in size, region, and industry. Compare your actual pay to the market median, and decide where you want to position yourself: at, above, or below market. If your company is in Ontario, Clarity makes it easy to find the data you need.

See also: The Pay Transparency Wake-Up Call: What Ontario Employers Need to Know About Compensation Benchmarking in 2026

Compensation benchmarking compares your pay rates to what similar employers pay for similar roles. It shows where you sit against the market, so you can set competitive ranges, spot gaps, and support pay decisions with evidence rather than gut feel.

See also: Ontario Compensation Benchmark Data: Building Competitive Salaries in the Era of Pay Transparency

A Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) plan lets employers top up Employment Insurance benefits for employees during a temporary layoff, illness, or leave. Manufacturers often use them to keep skilled workers through a slowdown. The plan must be registered with Service Canada before payments begin.

See also: Ontario Manufacturers: Are you Using a SUB Plan to Protect your Workforce?

Shift premiums are usually paid as an hourly add-on for afternoon, night, and weekend shifts, with night shifts earning the highest premium. Rates vary by industry and region, and 12-hour shift schedules are often handled differently from 8-hour ones. Check current survey results before setting or changing your rates.

See also: Ontario Shift Premiums: 8-Hour, Night & Weekend Rates

Compare your plan to employers in your industry in your region, looking at coverage levels, cost-sharing, and eligibility rules. Health and dental coverage, paid time off, and retirement savings are the areas employees compare most. Benchmarking data shows where you match the market and where you may be falling behind.

Clarity makes it easy to compare your plan to employers of a similar size in your industry, and in your region on Ontario.

See also: The Benefits Benchmark: What Ontario Employers are Really Offering in 2026

Start with market projections to set an overall budget, then look at where each employee sits in their pay range. People below the market midpoint who perform well often get larger increases, while those near the top of the range may get less. Budget separately for promotions and market adjustments so they don’t eat into merit increases.

See also: Ontario Salary & Wage Increase Projections for 2027

Ontario employers are projecting average increases of about 3.0% – 3.2% for 2027, based on COIRI’s employer survey. Projections differ by employee group, so salaried and hourly budgets are often planned separately. Check the latest results in Clarity before finalizing your own increase budget.

See also: Ontario Salary and Wage Increase Projections for 2027: Employer Survey Results

Demand for skilled trades has outpaced supply as experienced workers retire and fewer young people enter apprenticeships. Manufacturers compete with construction and other sectors for the same people. That competition shows up in pay, which is why trades wages are worth checking more often than other roles.

See also: 2026 Snapshot: How Tough is Hiring Skilled Trades in Ontario Right Now?

Manufacturing wages in Ontario depend heavily on the role, skill level, and region. Skilled trades such as industrial mechanics, electricians, and CNC machinists earn well above general production roles, and pay for them has been rising with demand. For role-by-role figures, employer-reported survey data gives a far clearer picture than a single provincial average.

See also: The Most In-Demand Jobs in Ontario Manufacturing in 2026 (and What They’re Actually Paying)

Job postings show what employers are advertising, not what they actually pay. Ranges in postings are often wide, and they reflect new hires rather than your existing workforce. They’re useful as a signal of market movement, but they work best alongside survey data.

See also: Can HR use Job Postings for Accurate Compensation Benchmarking?

Free data works for a quick gut check, but it’s rarely detailed enough to set pay ranges with confidence. Government wage data is usually grouped into broad occupations, and salary websites depend on whoever chooses to report. For decisions you may need to explain to employees, reports created from survey data is easier to defend.

See also: Can HR use Job Postings for Accurate Compensation Benchmarking?

Free sources like government wage data and job board listings are a reasonable starting point, but they’re often too broad or out-of-date. The most reliable option is an employer-reported salary survey that covers your region, industry, and organization size. COIRI collects this data directly from Ontario employers annually, and provides simple browser-based software that dynamically analyzes survey responses and creates summary reports.

See also: Where to Find Ontario Salary Data: Free Sources, Job Postings, and Salary Surveys Compared

Pay varies by region, and national averages can hide big differences between markets. A national survey weighted toward large urban employers can overstate or understate what a mid-sized Ontario employer needs to pay. Local data reflects the labour market you actually hire from.

See also: Where to Find Ontario Salary Data: Free Sources, Job Postings, and Salary Surveys Compared

Pay that falls behind the market is one of the most common reasons good employees leave. Regular benchmarking catches those gaps before people start looking elsewhere, especially in hard-to-fill roles. It also helps you prioritize where limited increase dollars will do the most for retention.

See also: Is Your Pay Competitive? How Ontario Employers can Align Compensation with Market Rates in 2026

Be clear about what drives pay at your organization, such as experience, performance, skills, and time in role. Employees accept differences more readily when the criteria are consistent and they can see how they apply. Practice the conversation with managers before ranges go public.

See also: Pay Transparency Done Right: How to Explain Pay Differences to Employees (Without Losing Their Trust)

Once ranges are public, employees and candidates will compare them to the market and to each other. Survey data gives you a defensible basis for each range, so you can explain how it was set. That makes posting ranges, and answering questions about them, much easier.

See also: The Pay Transparency Wake-Up Call: What Ontario Employers Need to Know About Compensation Benchmarking in 2026

Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must include the expected pay or a pay range in publicly advertised job postings. If the range tops out at $200,000 or less, it can’t be wider than $50,000. Postings must also say whether the job is an existing vacancy and whether AI is used to screen applicants.

See also: Your Compensation Data is now Public-Facing. Here’s how Ontario HR Leaders get it Right

Most organizations review their salary ranges once a year, usually ahead of budget planning for annual increases. In a tight labour market, or for roles that are hard to fill, a mid-year check is worth doing. Reviewing yearly keeps ranges from slowly falling behind the market, which is often how retention problems start.

See also: How to Tell if You Have a Compensation Problem

Crowdsourced sites rely on individuals reporting their own pay, which can be incomplete, outdated, or skewed toward people who choose to share. Employer-reported data comes straight from HR and payroll records, so it reflects what organizations actually pay. It can also be matched to clear job descriptions, which makes comparisons more reliable.

See also: Where to Find Ontario Salary Data: Free Sources, Job Postings, and Salary Surveys Compared

A salary survey collects pay data from many employers for the same set of jobs, then reports what the market pays. Results are usually shown as percentiles, such as the 25th, median, and 75th, so you can see the full range and not just an average. HR teams use them to set pay ranges, price new roles, and check whether current pay is competitive.