Friday, March 21, 2025
Are you effectively addressing competitive compensation for your environmental workers? In today’s green economy, leveraging a strong compensation and benefits strategy is essential for attracting and retaining top talent.
A new survey shows the average annual salary for environmental workers across Canada in 2024 was $80,752 and the median salary was $70,000, according to ECO Canada’s 2025 Environmental Worker Compensation Guide. By comparison, the average annual salary of Canada’s employed population was $60,880.
ECO Canada is Environmental Careers Organization of Canada, an organization that advocates for the end-to-end career of an environmental professional, to promote and drive responsible, sustainable economic growth within the industry while ensuring environmental care and best practices are followed.
The survey was conducted in Spring 2023. ECO Canada surveyed employers and workers on compensation for environmental workers, including labour, technical, engineering, administrative, and management roles across private and public organizations of all sizes. Workers included contributed to the protection, preservation, or sustainability of the environment, were required to have environmental knowledge, skills, or training, or were employed by environmental goods and services organizations. Compensation data were collected for full-time, part-time, contract, intern, student and seasonal positions.
The survey found that environmental workers with more than five years of work experience had a median annual salary of $85,000. Public sector environmental workers earn higher median salaries than those in the private and not-for-profit and charity sectors. Salaries for environmental workers are higher in the northern territories than in other parts of Canada.
Industries with annual salaries higher than national compensation average of $70,000 included:
- Public administration ($80,270)
- Professional, scientific and technical services (except Environmental consulting) ($80,000)
- Transportation and warehousing ($78,000)
- Utilities ($75,000)
- Natural resources ($75,000)
Environmental workers are present in every province and territory in Canada, but the vast majority work in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia accounting for 83 per cent of the total environmental workforce in 2024. Every province and territory in Canada will be looking for green talent, with opportunities resulting from jobs in new or expanding industries, as well as openings created by retiring workers. Total net hiring requirements for core environmental workers exceeds 141,460 job openings from 2024-2033.
The survey was supported by Government of Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program.
Click here to read the full report.
Featured image credit: Getty Images
