Senior female strategists in Canada are now out-earning men, a new study shows.

Insights from the Account Planning Group of Canada (APG) 2023/24 salary survey reveals that the country’s most experienced female strategists are now making more than their male counterparts. The numbers also reveal that since 2019, director-level strategy salaries have increased by 25%. However, the numbers come with an asterisk, because men on average are still out-earning women by roughly 11%.

APG says that its survey, which is based on 344 complete responses and was conducted in November and December, is its largest yet. In fact, the response rate is 45% higher than work it did in 2020, which revealed that male Canadian planners in the advertising and marketing sector earned, on average, 22% more than their female counterparts with the same level of experience.

“[The survey] provides a temperature check on the state of strategic planning in Canada and frankly, the picture it paints is not entirely pretty,” says Mark Tomblin, chair of the APG. Tomblin notes that 61% of strategists in Canada are more worried about the industry than they have ever been before and the majority of strategists under 35 years (58%) are concerned by the potential of aging out of the industry.

The racial inequalities uncovered by the 2020 APG Salary Survey still exist, however, the gap is closing with non-visible minority strategists earning 8% more than their visible minority counterparts.

To provide a more detailed perspective on the survey results, the APG recruited a cross-panel of industry experts from HR to recruiters to senior strategists, across full-time and freelance, who will share their point of view at a live event on March 26, hosted by Toronto agency, No Fixed Address.