To tackle the competitive labor market, more than half of respondents (57%) have hired candidates higher in the relevant salary range, while a further 76% have adjusted or are considering adjusting salary ranges more aggressively, increasing ranges by 2% to 5%. The report summarizes the findings of WTWs annual survey on salary movement and reviews practices as a means of helping companies with their compensation planning for 2022 and beyond. Employers need to deliver a sound employee value proposition supported by comprehensive Total Rewards programs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW) reports that employers are planning an average salary increase for exempt employees of 4.1 percent, slightly up from last year's four percent. Case in point: WTW's July 2022 Salary Budget Planning Survey results show that 96% of companies globally increased salaries (compared to 63% in 2020), and overall budgets have increased significantly over prior years. Actual salary increases reported in July 2022 were notably higher than both actual 2021 increases as well as initial 2022 projections. Willis Towers Watson Public Ltd (WLTW) Stock Data. More than ever, making the most of your capital means solving a complex risk-and-return equation. On the other hand, companies recognize they need to boost compensation with sign-on, referral and retention bonuses; skill premiums; midyear adjustments; or pay raises. Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information. -, UBS Adjusts Willis Towers Watson's Price Target to $248 From $235, Maintains Neutral Rating, Willis Towers Watson Public : WTW Appoints Leigh Ann Rodgers Western Region Client Strategy Leader for North America. The report summarizes the findings of WTW's annual survey on salary movement and reviews practices as a means of helping companies with their compensation planning for 2022 and beyond. The 2021 General Industry Salary Budget Survey was conducted by Willis Towers Watson Data Services between April and June 2021. In fact, most markets pushed their original forecasts to budgets that are higher than have been seen in nearly 20 years. The 2021 General Industry Salary Budget Survey found only 3% of companies are not planning to boost salaries next year, a drop from 8% that didnt give raises this year. Email author Lori Wisper and continue the conversation. HR pros plan for the highest pay increases in nearly 20 years, By Remember that a one-size-fits-all approach wont work. All rights reserved. Merit increases in the General Industry entering and during the last three periods of U.S. economic downturn, Benefits Administration and Outsourcing Solutions, Executive Compensation and Board Advisory, Financial, Executive and Professional Risks (FINEX). It also shrank 10.6% among the historical leadership talent pool (workers ages 45-54). Also Read Lori Wisper Notably, raises are returning to pre-pandemic levels. 2021-2022 saw higher pay increase budgets. WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PLC MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION A.. Willis Towers Watson Public : WTW launches pooled employer plan in the U.S. Average US Pay Increase Projected . ARLINGTON, VA, July 20, 2021 Pay raises are making a comeback. Employers looked to 2021 with optimism and an eye toward recovery, but many organizations around the world had to adjust to tumultuous business conditions that emerged from the pandemic. Maintaining an on-going relationship with clients and gaining an understanding of the clients' business and industry. Click to return to the beginning of the menu or press escape to close. Copyright 2023 Surperformance. However, bowing to public pressure and succumbing to gut instinct wont serve anyone in the long term. Looking at 2022, greater scrutiny on the labor market will continue among both employers and employees. Copyright 2023 WTW. Have feedback on this article? Copyright 2023 WTW. We have answers, Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, Concerns related to cost management, such as inflation or rising cost of supplies (57%). As noted, base salary represents one of the largest fixed labor costs for employers, and salary increases have a compounding effect on fixed costs over time that must be managed intelligently. Only Australia, India, Italy, United States and Brazil saw average increase budgets in 2021 above those in 2020. Salary budgets remained steady overall at 3%, in part because of the aforementioned lag, but also because, while unemployment was high, it was only high for about three months. At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. The average actual salary increase hit 4.9% in 2022, as compared to a 4.0% actual increase amount in 2021, among those organizations that granted increases in the top 15 economies around the world. Ensure your salary increase process is transparent and emphasizes the connection between salary increases and business performance. Bonuses for support staff and production and manual labor employees averaged 8.0% and 5.5%, respectively. Clients depend on us for specialized industry expertise. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable successand provide perspective that moves you. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance. How inflation influences pay practices, Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information. Dive Brief: Amid accelerating inflation and tight competition for workers, U.S. companies plan to boost employee pay next year at a higher rate than in 2021, projecting 3% salary increases for executives, management, professional employees and support staff, and 2.8% higher payrolls for production and manual labor employees, according to a Willis Towers Watson survey. Then change arrived with a vengeance in 2022. EMPLOYERS in the Asia-Pacific plan to give the highest 2022 salary increases compared with North America and Western Europe, which are expected to stay flat, according to findings from a Willis Towers Watson survey. Also, take a Total Rewards perspective. Salary increases rarely match sudden increases in inflation, and the time horizon or duration of inflation or labor market shortages affects decisions in uncertain times. Copyright 2023 WTW. It also is smart to review pay changes for the overall population (not just the same population) because that shows the true growth in compensation spend as increases in starting salaries for new hires also are factored into that analysis. Companies are now budgeting an overall average increase of 3.4% in 2022, compared with the average 3.0% increase they had budgeted in June 2021. End of main navigation menu. We would have faced a steady decline in available workers rather than the drastic layoffs and unemployment increases that we experienced in spring 2020. Explore these additional resources to expand your approach to salary planning in 2023. End of main navigation menu. Clients depend on us for specialized industry expertise. While its true that employees buying power is diminished when salary increases are lower than inflation, remember that pay never goes down even when inflation goes down. There are growing concerns that a recession is unavoidable. Finally, it will be more important than ever to educate both managers and employees on cost of living and inflation versus the cost of labor. Hatti Johansson Nearly half of companies (46%) are planning or considering improving the employee experience to address inflationary pressures and drive retention. Approximately 28,000 sets of responses were received from companies across more than 135 countries worldwide, and 1,550 organizations in the U.S. responded. Some had record earnings and paid out significantly above-target bonuses but, in many cases, targeted at or below the typical 3% salary increase level that also was reported as the going rate in 2020. Remember to segment your workforce, for example by employee level (e.g., hourly, professional, executive), performance level or jobs in which youre having trouble attracting and retaining talent. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS This discussion includes. They also would provide compensation professionals and organization leadership a greater understanding of whats needed for the coming year (which includes those one-time merit increases) as well as a real picture for overall salary movement. of organizations around the world reported that 2022 salary budgets were higher than their 2021 compensation planning cycle. On the one hand, employers need to continue effectively managing fixed costs as they rebound from the pandemic. Trends that will drive 2023 rewards decisions. Results from our salary budget planning survey, By Market data provides a good start for navigating the year ahead. One common theme to remember: Even with an increased budget, it is important to segment your workforce as you consider your goals. 6.4 Days. But increased salary budgets only make it more critical for organizations to have a clear strategy for awarding pay increases as effectively as possible, prioritizing critical employees and hot jobs, and differentiating for performance. The highest increases forecasted are in India (10.0%), Russia (8.6%), Brazil (7.5%), Mexico (6.4%) and China (6.0%). Looking across the Eurozone, where inflation exceeded 10.6% on average in October 2022, it is a reminder that each country should be viewed individually, as there are notable differences in year-on-year increases. One in three employers bumped up original salary increase projections. The group's data shows that the proportion of businesses expecting to freeze pay altogether is also . After determining your strategic goals, you can start narrowing down how to achieve those goals by setting priorities. The Salary Budget Planning Report is compiled by WTW's Data Services practice. Click to return to the beginning of the menu or press escape to close. The best place to start? According to the survey, employer concerns over their ability to hire and retain talent far outweighed other factors for boosting salary increases. As labor markets tighten and inflation rises in certain countries, all eyes are on salary budgets and, so far, they seem to be inching above prior years. Willis Towers Watson. End of main navigation menu. While it is common for the final increases for the year and projections for the following year to change over time as organizations learn more about the factors affecting increases (e.g., unemployment, supply and demand of labor), the change typically is not this dramatic. More than ever, making the most of your capital means solving a complex risk-and-return equation. "There's a great reprioritization of work, rewards . In addition, two-thirds of respondents (67%) have provided more workplace flexibility, while 61% have already put broader emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). From determining how work gets done and how its valued to improving the health and financial wellbeing of your workforce, we add perspective. The Great Resignation has forced employers to pay higher starting salaries for talent theyve lost, while also adjusting salaries to retain those they are trying to keep. 41% of organizations will have a higher salary increase budget in 2022 than 2021. Winning the talent race will require employers to continue to be creative and comprehensive with their Total Rewards strategy, said Lesli Jennings, senior director, Work & Rewards, WTW. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable successand provide perspective that moves you. Consider other important components of the employer-employee deal including: Your actions can range from improving the employee experience to placing a broad emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or implementing greater workplace flexibility. Click to return to the beginning of the menu or press escape to close. This sounds like a simple question, but a clear answer isnt always easy. Click to return to the beginning of the menu or press escape to close. 2022-2023 is shaping up to be . Its also easy to see that there arent many who would buck the trend of remaining as close to overall salary budget projection levels as possible. Dont risk underinsurance protect yourself against inflation now, Global Semiconductor Industry Survey Report, Top 5 employee compensation trends for 2021, Executive Compensation and Board Advisory, Financial, Executive and Professional Risks (FINEX), Preparing for the EU Shareholders Rights Directive. Also, the United Kingdom, Spain and Mexico saw increase budgets of 1.0 to 1.2 percentage points higher in 2022 compared to 2021. January 3, 2023. You could consider one-time payments for lower-level or lower paid employees like production workers, or targeted base salary increases or retention or recognition awards for critical or at-risk talent. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success-and provide perspective that moves you. While companies are boosting salary budgets, bigger pay raises alone wont be enough to help address their attraction and retention challenges. Research by global advisory, broking, and solutions company Willis Towers Watson (WTW) found that average 2022 pay hike budgets grew from 2.9% in July 2021 to 3.2% in December. However, we have not seen a labor market like this one in quite some time if ever. Production and manual labor employees are in line to receive average increases of 2.8% next year, higher than the average 2.5% increases this year. Your ability to manage risk is key to your thriving in an uncertain world. The most cited reasons for the higher projections were: Resilience tempered with cautious optimism will be the 2022 mantra for employers, with most looking to increase salaries and provide bonuses for employees particularly for critical or high-performing talent. December 13, 2022 As part of a specialist Defined Contribution (DC) team which advises . WTWs July 2022 Salary Budget Planning Survey, Bombarded by questions about pay and inflation? At an average of 5.3% increase for PMETs and support staff, the Asia Pacific region, especially the emerging markets, is looking at noticeably higher pay in 2022. However, rising inflation in Argentina and Venezuela made these countries the exceptions to the rule, with increases of 7.3 and 279.9 percentage points higher in 2021 vs. 2020. Companies gave employees an average pay increase of 2.8% in 2021. Together, we unlock potential. However, the duration and scale are unknown. These are followed by Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, China, Canada and Mexico, which have a projection of 4 percentage points higher in 2022 compared to 2021. End of main navigation menu. 2023 Actuarial Insurance Consulting Graduate Programme, Life - Edinburgh - Willis Towers Watson Careers Willis Towers Watson Careers Edinburgh, United Kingdom Found in: Jooble GB - 2 hours ago Global pension assets record largest annual decline since the global financial crisis. All rights reserved. Clients depend on us for specialized industry expertise. It dropped significantly throughout the rest of 2020. Most (if any) of these are not factored into a merit budget or the data reported for salary budget projections. Manage the day-to-day delivery of insurance management services to our clients and be a primary or secondary point of contact within Willis Towers Watson. Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information. Following its recent withdrawal from the European Union, the United Kingdom topped the group at 1.5 percentage points higher in 2022 compared to 2021, with increase budgets of 4.3% in 2022 compared to 2.8% in 2021. Editor's note: At the time of publication, WTW has reported that salary budgets in the U.S. are showing median salary budget 2021 actuals and 2022 projections of 3% (with more than 1,000 companies reporting).