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National Compensation Study – 2009 Update for Management and Administration in Not-for-Profit Arts Organizations

March 2, 2009

Over 200 organizations within the not-for-profit arts sector participated in this comprehensive compensation study of the Canadian arts sector focusing on management and administrative positions in not-for-profit arts organizations in 2008. This is the second iteration of the study, which was first undertaken in 2003. The study focus included data on base salary, short term incentive pay, employee benefits and perquisites, as well as a number of other topics, including key human resources challenges facing organizations.

 Trends identified by the study include the following:

  • Organizations with operating budgets of over $5,000,000 had higher real wage increases than the general marketplace from 2003 to 2008 (about 15% vs. just under 6%).
  • Relative to 2003, the frequency of benefits being offered by arts organizations has increased, especially for smaller organizations. The prevalence of extended health, dental, life and other insurance has almost doubled for these organizations. However, similar to 2003, the scope and frequency of benefits across the arts sector is disproportionately lower than other sectors.
  • Retirement savings plans are also now more prevalent in larger organizations.
  • There has been an increase in organizations offering incentives other than monetary bonuses, including paid time off (an increase to 34% from 19%).

This project is funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts.