In early 2023, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and Canadian Architect partnered to refresh and update the Canadian Architectural Practices Benchmark Report, with the goal of providing comprehensive, anonymized data on the current standards for compensation, billings, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and other key indicators among Canadian architectural practices. 

This survey and report were last completed in 2011, and prior to that, in 2009. For the 2023 report, the 2011 survey was refreshed, adding new sections related to Indigenous themes and reconciliation, climate action, and EDI. To complete this work, Canadian Architect and the RAIC partnered with Bramm Research Inc., a consultancy which has supported previous editions.

The full report is now available for purchase from the RAIC. Canadian Architect has delved deep into select findings in a series of eight additional articles.

How has the profession been doing in the past decade? To start with, the average firm size has grown. In 2010, Canadian firms responding to the survey had a median of five employees and an average (mean) of 17.7 employees. Now, those numbers are eight and 19.3, respectively. Gross billings for firms in 2010 clocked in at a median of $500,000 and an average of $1,507,000; in the present survey, the median was $900,000 and the average was $2,736,000.

While categories of staff have changed over the past decade, as a general indicator, associates in the 2011 report made an average range of $81,400 to $98,300; while in 2023, they made an average range of $92,713 to $120,376—a notable increase, although one that falls somewhat short of matching the average rate of inflation of 2.39% annually over that period.

A significant change in the past decade has been in the area of proposals. In 2010, firms responded to an average of 62 RFPs and a median of 10 RFPs in the preceding three years. In 2022, those numbers are 79 and 25, respectively.

In a series of questions on the future of the profession, just under a third of respondents (31 percent) rated their outlook on the profession over the next five to ten years as eight or higher, on a scale of one to ten, with ten as the most positive score. More respondents—47 percent—ranked their outlook as neutral or somewhat positive, with scores of five to seven.

For both firms and staff, the greatest challenges to the profession in the next five years will be in the area of economic factors and market challenges (48 percent of staff respondents and 50 percent of firm respondents), followed closely by workplace and human resources (48 percent of staff respondents and 34 percent of firm respondents). Climate change and sustainability was also identified as a key concern by 15 percent of staff respondents and 29 percent of firm respondents, along with technological advancements and AI—a concern for 18 percent of staff and 20 percent of firms.