Despite a decline in workplace happiness, the majority of workers say they feel comfortable being themselves at work.
TORONTO, February 26, 2025 – The ADP Canada monthly Happiness@Work Index ("Index") reveals workers in Canada are feeling less happy in February. Although less happy, most workers say they feel their skills add value to their workplace and that their perspective and ideas matter.
The National Work Happiness Score for February 2025 is 6.7/10, a 0.1-point decrease from January 2025.
"When employees feel valued, heard and supported, they bring their best selves to work," says Heather Haslam, vice president of marketing at ADP Canada. "As we uncover that the majority of workers feel comfortable being themselves at work in February despite a dip in happiness, continuing to build a culture where employees feel confident to speak up and can leverage their strengths is more critical than ever. Organizations that empower employees create environments where employees don’t just stay — they thrive."
February 2025 Happiness@Work Index Highlights
The Index also shows almost half (46%) of workers in Canada feel satisfied with their current roles and responsibilities, with Work-Life Balance & Flexibility and Options for Career Advancement being the key secondary indicators in driving the decrease in sentiment.
Boomers (7.3/10) continue to take the top spot as the happiest generation, with Gen-Z workers (6.9/10) consecutively in second place. Following a strong month for British Columbia, the region dipped by a considerable 0.6 points, after a 0.7-point increase recorded in January 2025. Additionally, Ontario (6.7/10) reported its first positive change in score since November 2024.
National Work Happiness Score: Generational Snapshot
Regional Work Happiness Score Snapshot
Reflecting on how workers feel in the workplace, eight in ten workers surveyed in Canada feel comfortable being themselves at work. Additionally, almost three quarters (73%) claim their skills and talents are valued and used at work while also feeling confident to bring concerns to their manager or senior leadership team. Younger workers are less likely to share these sentiments, with Gen Z respondents sitting on average 10-percentage points below Boomer workers.
"To maintain and continue to build workplaces where workers feel empowered and confident, it is important for employers to conduct regular reviews of current practices and resources to help identify areas of improvement and create an environment of trust and support," concludes Haslam.
About the Happiness@Work Index Methodology
The Happiness@Work Index is measured monthly through a survey fielded by Maru Public Opinion on behalf of ADP Canada and is undertaken by the sample and data collection experts at Maru/Blue. The survey is run in the first week of each reported month for consistency purposes and asks over 1,200 randomly selected employed Canadian adults (including both employees and self-employed individuals) who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists to rate workplace factors on a scale from 1 to 10. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding.
The results are weighted by education, age, gender and region (and in Québec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/-2.8%, 19 times out of 20.
The Index will continue to be published on the last Wednesday of the month, with the next scheduled findings due for publication on March 26, 2025.
