The vast majority of Canadian creatives feel that employers should be required by law to include salary details in job postings, according to the Association of Registered Graphic Designers' (RGD) newest Creative Earners Report.
Now in its 11th year, the report is based on online interviews with people representing 30 professions spanning the commercial creative sector, ranging from art director and design roles, to strategists, copywriters, and project coordinators. Their experience ranges from less than year to more than 20.
Now in its 11th year, the report is based on online interviews with people representing 30 professions spanning the commercial creative sector, ranging from art director and design roles, to strategists, copywriters, and project coordinators. Their experience ranges from less than year to more than 20.
The last report was the first to include questions pertaining to gender identity and sexual orientation, along with workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The survey of 3,343 professionals found that 88% believe that salary details should be disclosed in job postings, representing a 5% increase from the 2022 report. The findings come as the Ontario government looks to pass Bill 149, otherwise known as the Working for Workers Four Act.
The provincial legislation is intended to bring about more protections for workers by amending several employment-related statutes—including the Employment Standards Act, and the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act. If enacted in its current form, the new bill will require employers to disclose salary range on public job postings, and retain copies of those postings for three years after they have been removed.
While this information will make it easier for job seekers to secure long-term positions, its proponents argue that it could also help close Ontario's gender pay gap, which currently sits at 13% for hourly wages, according to government data. That translates to an average earning of 87 cents by Ontario women for every dollar earned by men, a number that decreases for racialized and Indigenous women.
The gender pay gap
Two thirds of the people surveyed by RGD identified as women, with 64% based in Ontario. The results show that women’s salaries are lower than men’s for all job titles, and especially in full-time freelance roles—where the hourly pay disparity jumps to 16%.
White respondents surveyed earn more than BIPOC respondents across all creative job categories, though in many cases BIPOC men earn more or the equivalent of their white female counterparts.
Of all job categories included in the report, the majority of respondents hold designer or director positions (either graphic/visual, creative/ design, web/interaction/digital/game or art). Creative/design directors have the highest salaries, with a national median of $115,000.
Taking a closer look at gender disparity in these roles, the national average salary for creative/design direction positions is $144,190 for men, and $117,590 for women, while no average is provided for BIPOC people as the sample size was too small. For art direction, the average salary is $89,970 for men, $83,990 for women, and $86,070 for members of the BIPOC community.
The need for wage transparency
The study also found that people working at creative agencies feel their salaries are below industry standard.
The study suggests that if creative professionals are continuously encountering peers who are compensated higher for similar roles, employers will struggle to retain their workforce. Among the 775 respondents who considered a job change in 2022, compensation was overwhelmingly cited as a reason—with 92% citing salary or wage range as the most important factor in their decision and 88% revealing that it was the leading factor when deciding to accept an offer.
Remote work is here to stay
Not only are many creative professionals earning less than the salaries they desire, the majority are not being paid for overtime work, and are not receiving competitive compensation outside of their pay. The most popular benefit offered by business owners as compensation is actually the opportunity to work from home, ranking above paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid personal time off, and insurance.
Needless to say, remote and flexible work has been adopted across the industry at large, and serves as an incentive for employment. Among the 101 business owners surveyed, only 11% reported that their staff work in a physical office full-time. The majority of businesses consulted operate with less than 10 employees, and outsource to freelance/ contractors.
Similar evidence is found in the 824 employees of creative agencies surveyed, over half work of whom work in a hybrid model—despite being part of large teams ranging from 30 employees to more than 500—34% work fully remote and only 12% work in office full-time.
