Ontario workers are happier than ever

A new national index that tracks how happy workers are across Canada has revealed that employees in Ontario are actually enjoying their jobs more than ever before. 

HR services firm ADP Canada's latest Happiness Work Index for November shows that Ontario workers have hit their highest score since the index launched, coming in at 7.0/10, which puts the province in second place nationally.

The recent report marks a major turnaround for Ontario from last year, when the province was ranked the least happy place to work with a score of just 6.7/10. 

The index, which is released monthly, measures how satisfied employees feel in their roles, work environments, and day-to-day responsibilities. The National Work Happiness Score for November 2025 mirrored Ontario's score of 7.0/10, which represents a 0.1 per cent increase from October and a significant jump from last November (6.7/10). 

The report also found that half of the workers in Canada are satisfied with their current role and responsibilities, with Boomers remaining the happiest generation nationally (7.4/10). Gen Z and Gen X followed closely behind in November at 6.9/10. 

Across the rest of the country, Atlantic Canada remained in the number one spot in November, with a happiness score of 7.5/10, followed by Ontario in second place at 7.0/10, Quebec and British Columbia tied for third (6.9/10) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba and Alberta tied for last place (6.8/10).

Back in 2023, Ontario saw a happiness ranking of 6.5/10 in March, 6.6/10 in April, and 6.6/10 again in May. In June 2025, Ontario was named the least happy province to work in, and plunged to the bottom of the national list with a score of 6.7/10. 

The report also uncovered a series of trends as we head into the new year, with three specific resolutions standing out. Thirty-nine per cent of respondents said they aim to receive a pay increase at their current company, 38 per cent said they want to learn a new skill, and 37 per cent said they hope to earn a promotion in the coming year. 

Sixty-five per cent of Canadian workers also said that they already set clear career-related goals or are considering New Year's resolutions tied to their career. 

The Happiness Work Index obtains its results through a survey conducted by Harris Poll Canada, and asks over 1,200 randomly selected employed Canadian adults to rate workplace factors on a scale from 1 to 10.