Support for small businesses is strong: workers in Canada love to support local small businesses in their market.
ADP Canada Co. (“ADP Canada”)’s monthly Happiness@Work Index ("Index") sees a slight rise in worker happiness in September. It also reveals that most (85%) workers in Canada prefer to shop at and support small businesses when possible.
The National Work Happiness Score for September 2025 is 6.9/10, reflecting a 0.1-point increase from last month and the first change since May 2025.
“Despite entering a change in seasons, it’s encouraging to see that workers in Canada are still enjoying themselves overall,” says Heather Haslam, vice president of marketing at ADP Canada. “With that in mind, the fall season usually brings a natural shift in energy and often marks a busier period. This is an ideal time of year for employers to align on goals and refocus on what matters most to their workers, ensuring they are met with adequate support to finish the year off strong.”
September 2025 Happiness@Work Index Highlights
The September Index reports that almost half (47%) 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 (7.4/10), Gen X (6.6/10) records a 0.2-point decline in sentiment, placing them in last place after tying for second in August. Regionally, Atlantic Canada (7.4/10) takes ownership of the happiest region, after being tied with Québec in the previous month. Sask./Manitoba (6.5/10) remains the least happy region for workers in Canada this month.
National Work Happiness Score: Generational Snapshot
Regional Work Happiness Score Snapshot
The Index reports that more than half of workers in Canada point to supporting the local community (54%) and quality customer service (52%) as the most important factors that influence their decision to support small businesses. This is followed by competitive pricing (41%); product quality and skilled labour (34%); and specialized products or services and personal relationships (32%).
“Small businesses are an important factor in Canada’s economy. These findings show the value small businesses provide to workers in Canada and the communities small businesses build. They not only create jobs and drive innovation but also strengthen our communities by bringing a sense of connection,” concludes Haslam.
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 October 29, 2025.
