Working in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, or Washington, D.C.? Employees in these major metropolitan areas may expect some of the better pay raises in 2009, according to a new salary survey. The survey also found that, despite the troubled economy, about 3 out of 4 workers can still expect a raise in 2009.
WorldatWork released a “Special Update: 2008-09 Salary Budget Survey” based on data collected in December 2008. Originally, WorldatWork surveyed employers on their projected raises for 2009 in April 2008, but drastic changes in the economy prompted the follow-up.
Their latest survey of over 1,000 U.S. companies found that nationally, the average salary budget increase projections for 2009 dropped from 3.9% in April to 3.1% in December. Moreover, the survey found that 10 percent of employers indicated they will be freezing pay for exempt salaried employees in 2009.
Of the 25 major metro areas represented in the survey, employers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., indicated that their average salary budget increases would be the highest (3.1%). At the lower end of the spectrum, employers from Detroit, Portland, San Jose, and Seattle were planning average increases of 2.8%.
Employers in the metro areas of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York were among those planning average salary increases of 3.0%.
"There is a silver lining in this dark economic cloud,” Anne C. Ruddy, CCP, president of WorldatWork, said in a press release. “Employers are committed to rewarding employees; our data shows 77 percent of employees can expect a pay raise, especially high performers.”
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