Shift premium rates can be difficult to benchmark. There is no single standard rate across Ontario, and employer practices vary depending on the industry, type of operation, shift schedule, location and difficulty attracting employees to less desirable hours.
Publicly available job postings and collective agreements can provide useful reference points, but some published rates may be lower than the shift premiums employers are currently paying. They often reflect older agreements, different industries or organizations facing less recruitment pressure. Understanding how to best benchmark shift premiums is challenging.
To provide a more current comparison, COIRI collected data for afternoon-shift premiums, night-shift premiums, and weekend-shift premiums from our own group of Ontario employers, primarily in manufacturing, warehousing and related operations.
How Employers Structure Shift Premiums
Our data indicates that shift premiums are overwhelmingly structured as a set dollar amount per hour, used by 92.1% of respondents. Only 2.6% calculated premiums as a percentage of base pay, while 5.3% used both approaches. Employers also tended to apply the same premium structure across their workforce: 94.7% did not provide different premium amounts to different employee groups, such as skilled trades, leadership or general labour.
8-Hour Afternoon Shifts
For 8-hour afternoon or second shifts, the most common premium reported by our employer group was $1.00 to $1.24 per hour.
Note: The following percentages are cumulative, meaning employers paying a higher premium are also included in each applicable lower threshold.
Among respondents with an 8-hour afternoon shift:
- 56.3% paid at least $1.00 per hour
- 31.3% paid at least $1.25 per hour
- 18.8% paid at least $1.50 per hour
- 6.3% paid $2.00 or more per hour
Based on these results, a premium of approximately $1.00 to $1.24 per hour represents a common market position within our group. Rates below $0.75 fall toward the lower end, while premiums of $1.50 or more are comparatively strong.
8-Hour Night Shifts
Premiums for 8-hour night or third shifts were generally higher.
Although the most common response was also $1.00 to $1.24 per hour, more employers were represented in the higher ranges:
- 69.6% paid at least $1.00 per hour
- 41.3% paid at least $1.25 per hour
- 34.8% paid at least $1.50 per hour
- 15.2% paid at least $1.75 per hour
- 8.7% paid $2.00 or more per hour
A night premium between $1.00 and $1.49 per hour would fall within the central portion of our results. A rate of $1.50 or more would place an employer toward the stronger end of the market, although approximately one-third of participating employers reported paying at least this amount.
12-Hour Day Shifts
12-hour day shifts are treated differently from afternoon and night shifts.
In our employer group, approximately 55% of employers indicated that they did not pay a premium for 12-hour day shifts. For many organizations, these shifts are considered regular day shifts, and the fact that they are 12 hours long is not viewed as requiring additional pay.
This is the most important benchmark for this category: no premium is the majority practice within our group.
Among employers that do provide a premium, practices vary. A premium of approximately $0.75 to $1.24 per hour appears to be a reasonable reference range, with approximately $1.00 representing a competitive amount when a premium is paid.
Higher rates may apply where the day shift forms part of a rotating continental schedule, includes regular weekend work or has other features that make the schedule less desirable. Employers should therefore compare the complete schedule arrangement rather than the shift length alone.
12-Hour Night Shifts
The strongest premiums were generally reported for 12-hour night shifts.
Among our participating employers:
- 79.1% paid at least $1.00 per hour
- 61.4% paid at least $1.25 per hour
- 47.3% paid at least $1.50 per hour
- 30.2% paid $2.00 or more per hour
The most common individual response was $2.00 per hour or more.
Within our employer group, approximately $1.50 to $2.00 per hour represents a competitive range for a 12-hour night shift. Although $2.00 or more was the most common individual response, nearly half of participating employers paid at least $1.50 per hour.
Weekend-Shift Premiums
Our survey asked whether employers provided a premium specifically for weekend work, over and above or different from the normal afternoon or night premium. In most cases, employees working weekends generally continued to receive the employer’s regular afternoon- or night-shift premium based on the hours worked. 35.7% of respondents provided a weekend-specific premium, while the remaining 64.3% applied their regular afternoon or night premiums to weekend shifts.
Note: Unlike the shift-premium thresholds above, the following categories are not cumulative. Each respondent is included in only one category.
Among the 35.7% of respondents that provided an additional or specifically designated weekend premium, the reported arrangements were as follows:
- 22.0% paid $1.00 to $1.49 per hour
- 24.4% paid $1.50 to $1.74 per hour
- 26.8% paid $2.00 or more per hour
- 19.5% paid an overtime rate
- 7.3% used another arrangement
A separate weekend-shift premium is therefore not the majority practice within our employer group. However, where a weekend amount is offered, it is often meaningful. Among employers using a flat-dollar weekend premium, approximately 70% paid at least $1.50 per hour.
Employers paying an overtime rate are providing a considerably richer arrangement and should be compared separately from employers adding a flat hourly amount.
Overall Market View
Based on the practices reported by our Ontario employer group, the clearest reference points are:
| Shift | General market position within our group |
|---|---|
| 8-hour afternoon | $1.00–$1.24 per hour is most common |
| 8-hour night | $1.00–$1.49 is broadly competitive |
| 12-hour day | No premium is most common; approximately $0.75–$1.24 when paid |
| 12-hour night | Approximately $1.50–$2.00 is competitive |
| Weekend shifts | Regular afternoon or night premiums generally still apply; most employers do not add a separate weekend-specific premium |
| Additional weekend premium | Often $1.50 or more when provided |
How These Results Compare With Online Information
Some publicly available Ontario rates may appear lower than the results reported by our employer group. This does not necessarily mean that either source is incorrect.
Differences may arise because online information can include older collective agreements, different industries, smaller labour markets, less difficult-to-fill positions or schedules structured differently from those used by our participants.
Our findings reflect the practices of COIRI’s participating Ontario employers, not necessarily the provincial average or every organization in Ontario. They do, however, provide useful current benchmarks for manufacturing, warehousing and related employers competing for employees in similar labour markets.
The right shift premium is not necessarily the highest amount being paid. It is the amount that reflects the demands of the schedule, supports recruitment and retention, and remains competitive with the organizations hiring from the same employee population.
Shift premiums are only one part of the broader compensation picture. COIRI’s Clarity platform gives Ontario employers access to current benchmark data covering hundreds of benefits, workplace practices and employer policies, alongside detailed wage and salary information.