With the year winding down, workers in Canada are setting career growth and professional development New Year’s resolutions.
ADP Canada Co. (“ADP Canada”)’s monthly Happiness@Work Index ("Index") for November shows a rise in worker happiness as the winter months approach. It also reveals that many workers in Canada (65%) say they have either already set clear career-related goals or are considering New Year’s resolutions tied to their career or professional development.
The National Work Happiness Score for November 2025 is 7.0/10, representing a 0.1-point increase from the previous month and a notable jump from last November (6.7/10).
“As the year draws to a close, it’s encouraging that workers in Canada are already looking ahead and setting their sights on future career goals,” says Heather Haslam, vice president of marketing at ADP Canada. “This captures how important professional aspirations remain for workers and serves as a reminder for employers to provide the right tools and support to help them achieve those goals.”
November 2025 Happiness@Work Index Highlights
The November Index reports that half (50%) 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 (7.4/10) remain the happiest generation, Gen Z (6.9/10) sees a 0.2-point increase in sentiment, moving them into a tie for second place, alongside Gen X. Regionally, Atlantic Canada (7.5/10) remains in the first spot this month, and records a 0.5-point increase. Notably, Ontario (7.0/10) ranks second and reaches its highest happiness score since inception. Manitoba/Saskatchewan (6.8/10) is the least happy region for workers in Canada this month, tied with Alberta.
National Work Happiness Score: Generational Snapshot
Regional Work Happiness Score Snapshot
For Canadian workers who have set clear goals for next year, three resolutions stand out: receiving a pay increase at their current company (39%), learning a new skill (38%), or earning a promotion in the coming year (37%). Further, over half (52%) of workers in Canada believe that meeting their career goals would improve their job satisfaction. In comparison, nearly two-thirds (65%) say they are very or somewhat likely to participate in learning programs, such as workshops, certifications, or online courses, within the next year.
“These findings show that professional resolutions, particularly those related to pay increases and promotions, remain a key priority for workers in Canada. Furthermore, many are eager to participate in learning programs to develop valuable new skills. Employers would benefit from paying close attention to these ambitions, as supporting employee growth not only boosts company productivity through skills development but also enhances overall job satisfaction by helping workers achieve their career goals,” 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 December 31, 2025.
