Canadian employers plan to increase base wages by an average of at least 3% in 2004, according to a survey of by the Hay Group released Tuesday.

The consulting firm surveyed more than 350 Canadian organizations in the public and private sector this summer.

It found that employers were planning to raise pay by about the same level as they did in 2003.

This year, the average base wage grew by 3.3%. Employers had projected last year that their 2003 base wages would rise by 3.1%.

“Over the past year, we’ve been witness to many different turns of events, one would reasonably expect the salary increase forecasts for next year to be cautious at best,” said Karl Aboud, national director, reward management, Hay Group.

“But the numbers are showing stronger-than-expected employer confidence,” he said.

The forecasted numbers varied slightly by job level, ranging from an anticipated increase of 2.8% for trades jobs to 3.2% for executive/senior management positions, and 3 % for the CEO.

Among provinces, the highest anticipated pay increase are in Alberta, with 3.5%, while Quebec’s 2.7% is the lowest.