Salary increases in 2026 are expected to be low: "I have to move elsewhere to get more"

Salary increases are expected to remain very limited in 2026. According to a study by recruitment firm PageGroup published Tuesday, employees can expect an average increase of 1.5 to 2 percent next year. Employers are cautious due to an uncertain economic environment. Relatively low increases are linked to an uncertain economic environment.

According to the same study, the tense economic climate is forcing business leaders to be cautious. These leaders are hampered by relatively weak growth forecasts and stagnant inflation .

“A salary is also linked to the health of the company. If everyone is waiting, the economic slump will affect salaries,” one boss explained to RMC. “If there is high inflation, we will be more attentive to a possible increase. And to be able to meet this, we meet it on minimum wage salaries because it's an obligation, but we still try to do the same on other salaries,” another continued.

Only a few sectors seem to be spared: manufacturing, logistics, and IT, in particular. These are sectors in need of labor. The advantage here is for workers: they can play off the competition to hope for a more substantial salary increase. In manufacturing: +7 to +12%, for example, for embedded electronics engineers. +8% for an IT support technician at the beginning of their career.

Workers ready to leave if rejected. According to the study, 1 in 2 employees have considered leaving their job due to a feeling of pay injustice. Anthony, a financial advisor, has already felt this feeling.

“Today, in many professions, salary progression is always a cross-functional evolution. That is, moving elsewhere to earn more. I've already experienced this quote and I left the company because they didn't want to give me a raise.”

But it's still a raise some workers are looking forward to. Jacques, an IT technician at the same company for several years, has never received a raise: "I asked, and it's been two years since it changed." So the prospect of even a 2% increase next year appeals to this father. "As long as I get a raise, it's good for me," he told RMC.