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Hiring and retention

How much to pay? Setting a competitive wage in the service trades

By · Published · 8 min read

Business owner and employee discussing paperwork at a table in a workshop break room

Monday, 7:15 a.m. Your cleaning attendant ad has been online for three weeks and you've received two applications, one of them asking whether the job is in Florida. Meanwhile, the company across the street has filled both its positions. The difference often comes down to one line in the ad: the pay. Here's where to find real benchmarks, how to count benefits and why posting your rate saves you time.

The floor: minimum wage isn't a strategy

In Québec, the general minimum wage has been $16.60 an hour since May 1, 2026. That's the legal floor, not a market price. An ad at $16.60 for a night job on heavy equipment, with a Class 3 licence or clients to handle alone, is an ad that will sit there for a long time.

Think of the minimum as the line at the bottom of the page. Everything the job adds pushes the rate up: a required card or licence, experience on a specific machine, evening or night shifts, hard physical work, working alone in front of the client. A rookie moving helper and a crew lead who drives the truck and writes quotes aren't playing in the same league.

The minimum itself changes over time. Every time it goes up, the rates just above it get caught, and the gap that used to reward experience melts away. For everything the minimum wage covers and doesn't cover, read Minimum wage in Quebec: what it covers and what it does not.

Do it today: next to each position on your crew, write what it requires beyond the minimum (licence, machine, schedule, responsibilities). That's your list of reasons to pay more.

Official benchmarks: where to look before you set your rate

No need to guess or rely on the brother-in-law who "knows a guy." The Government of Canada publishes on Job Bank, for each occupation, a low, median and high hourly wage, by region of Québec. Example: for snow shovellers and grounds maintenance workers, the page shows $17.36 (low), $21.89 (median) and $28.50 (high) an hour for Québec as a whole. These figures cover 2023-2024 and were updated on November 19, 2025.

Two reflexes when you read these numbers. First, they're a bit dated: the minimum wage has gone up since, so treat them as a benchmark, not a final price. Second, look at your region, not just the Québec average: the gap between Montréal and a remote region can be real, in either direction.

The Government of Québec gives the same advice on its page about preparing a job offer: take into account your company's and your sector's pay scale, check regional data, and remember that the more demanding your selection criteria, the more attractive the pay needs to be. Also look at the job ads posted in your trade: you'll know who you're competing with.

BenchmarkWhich profile, in practice
Close to "low"Beginner, no card required, closely supervised
Around "median"A few seasons of experience, works alone at the client's
Toward "high"Licence or permit required, heavy equipment, crew lead, tough hours

This table isn't an official rule: it's a simple way to place your position within the range.

Do it today: find the wage page for your main trade, note the low, median and high for your region, then place each position on your crew within that range.

Pay is more than the rate: the benefits that count in the field

A candidate doesn't just compare two hourly rates. They compare two work weeks. A company that pays a bit less but supplies the vehicle and pays the drive between clients can win the race. Québec's page on preparing a job offer actually lists a "company vehicle" among job-related benefits.

The benefits that carry weight in the service trades:

  • The vehicle and fuel: no wear on the personal car, no gas bill.
  • Paid driving time: when you organize the route, the time between clients is work. The details are in Travel time between clients: is it paid?.
  • Tools, products and clothing supplied.
  • A schedule known in advance: knowing on Thursday what you're doing on Monday is worth a lot to a parent.
  • Clear premiums: evenings, nights, end of season. It's a company choice, so put the rules in writing.
  • More vacation than the minimum. Québec's Act respecting labour standards provides at least two continuous weeks after one year of continuous service, and three weeks after three years, with an indemnity of 4% or 6% of gross wages depending on the case. Offering more is a selling point.

Do the math the candidate will do. An employee who drives one hour a day between clients, with that time paid, gets five more paid hours a week than somewhere it isn't. Say so in the ad, with numbers.

Do it today: list everything you already provide without mentioning it (vehicle, cellphone, tools, boots). Everything on that list goes into your next ad.

Posting the pay: why it brings in more applications

Put yourself in the shoes of a painter scrolling through job ads at night on their phone. One ad says "$24 an hour, truck supplied." The other says "pay based on experience." Which one gets the click? The second asks for a call, an interview and a week of waiting to discover a number that might be too low. Most people skip it.

In Québec, no law requires you to post the pay in a job ad yet. The opinion published in June 2026 by the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés confirms this and points out that Ontario and British Columbia, among others, already require it. Here, that makes it a free advantage for you: as long as your competitors stay vague, your clear ad stands out.

On GPP Emploi, pay also counts in the match score out of 100 between your ad and each profile (10 points out of 100, alongside trade, location, availability, cards and working languages). A precise rate helps the system show you the right people, and helps the right people find you.

Do: a precise rate, or a tight range ("$22 to $25 depending on licence"), with the benefits right below.

Avoid: "competitive salary" with no number, a $17-to-$35 range that means nothing, a posted rate that changes at the interview.

For the rest of the ad, from the title to the wording to avoid, read Writing a job post that attracts candidates (and follows the law).

Do it today: reread your ads online. If the rate doesn't appear in the first three lines, move it up.

Raising the rate without starting a feud on the crew

The classic trap: you hire a newcomer at $23 to fill a position fast, while your four-year employee earns $21. They'll find out, usually within the week, and they're the one you risk losing. A competitive wage has to be thought through for the whole crew, not just for the next hire.

The fix doesn't need to be complicated. A simple pay grid, with three or four steps per position, is enough for a small service business:

  1. A starting rate per position, based on your regional benchmarks.
  2. One or two steps tied to things you can verify: a card obtained, a full season completed, training a new hire.
  3. A review on a fixed date every year, and another each time the minimum wage goes up.

Québec.ca also reminds employers that pay must comply with the Pay Equity Act. A written grid, with criteria tied to the position rather than the person, helps you stay on the right side. For a specific case, the CNESST can give you information.

Do it today: put your whole crew's current rates in a table, by position and seniority. The inconsistencies jump out in two minutes.

The real cost of an empty position, and how to fill it

An empty position doesn't cost zero. It means refused contracts, waiting clients and a crew working extra hours and wearing out. A few more dollars an hour, compared with a season of turned-down requests, is often the best investment of the year. For a complete recruiting strategy during a labour shortage, read Recruiting through a labour shortage: a guide for small service businesses.

On GPP Emploi, posting an ad is free and it stays online for 45 days. Every ad is checked automatically before it goes live, including for the minimum wage. You can also go looking for profiles in the bank, filtered by trade, region and availability, without seeing names until the person accepts your invitation. You only pay for results, when a contact is accepted: generally 2 credits, or $50 (the price can vary by trade and region). The details are on the pricing page.

Do it today: create your employer account and post an ad with a precise rate and your three best benefits at the top.

The bottom line

A competitive wage is a rate backed by official benchmarks, benefits spelled out in black and white, and a fair grid for the whole crew. Post it clearly: good candidates read the number before anything else.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Quebec in 2026?

The general minimum wage has been $16.60 an hour since May 1, 2026. The rate for employees who receive tips is $13.30 an hour. It's a legal floor: a job that requires a licence, heavy equipment or tough hours generally pays more.

Where can I find the average wage for a trade in Quebec?

The Government of Canada's Job Bank publishes a low, median and high hourly wage for each occupation, by region of Québec. Check the period the data covers, often a year or two old, and adjust accordingly. The Government of Québec also recommends comparing with the pay scale in your sector and region.

Do you have to post the salary in a job ad in Quebec?

No, no Québec law requires it for now, unlike Ontario or British Columbia. Posting a precise rate is still an advantage for attracting candidates. The ad must, however, respect the minimum wage and the Pay Equity Act.

How many weeks of vacation must you give an employee in Quebec?

The Act respecting labour standards provides at least two continuous weeks after one year of continuous service, and three continuous weeks after three years. The indemnity is 4% or 6% of gross wages for the reference year, depending on the case. Offering more is allowed and can become a recruiting argument.

How can I stay competitive without paying more than I can afford?

Lean on the benefits candidates add up: a supplied vehicle, paid driving between clients, a schedule known in advance, tools and clothing supplied. Spell them out clearly in the ad. A simple pay grid with steps tied to cards and seniority also helps you keep the people you already have.

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