A Canadian summer: Most workers in Canada are taking vacation this summer and mainly planning to travel within the country.
The ADP Canada monthly Happiness@Work Index ("Index") for July remains stable throughout the summer. It reveals that seven in ten (69%) workers in Canada plan to take time off this summer, with many opting for a 'Canadian summer,' with four-in-ten (41%) venturing to another Canadian region, and just as many are planning to travel within their area (41%).
The National Work Happiness Score for July 2025 is 6.8/10, unchanged from last month and July 2024.
"As workers in Canada embrace the summer season, it's encouraging to discover that many are prioritizing their time off and taking vacation," says Heather Haslam, vice president of marketing at ADP Canada. “Time off and meaningful support from colleagues continues to play an important role in shaping a healthy workplace and the long-term productivity of the workforce."
July 2025 Happiness@Work Index Highlights
The July Index reports that almost half (46%) of workers in Canada are satisfied with their current role and responsibilities, and Work-Life Balance & Flexibility remains the top contributor to overall satisfaction.
While Boomers remain the happiest generation (7.1/10), Gen Z (7.0/10) records a sharp rise in sentiment, placing them firmly in second place. Regionally, Sask./Manitoba (7.1/10) and Atlantic Canada (7.1/10) are tied as the happiest regions, with the latter noting a 0.4-point jump. Meanwhile, workers in Alberta (6.4/10) report a steep drop in happiness.
National Work Happiness Score: Generational Snapshot
Regional Work Happiness Score Snapshot
The Index also reveals that among those planning to take vacation over the summer, a third (32%) are opting for a staycation. Meanwhile, just one in five (21%) are planning international travel. For the workers in Canada not planning to take vacation during the summer, a quarter (24%) of them cite financial or economic concerns as the leading reason for not taking time off.
About the Happiness@Work Index Methodology
The Happiness@Work Index is measured monthly through a survey fielded by Harris Poll Canada on behalf of ADP Canada Co. 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 Harris Poll 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 August 27, 2025.
