Dive Temporary:
- The advantage will increase employers awarded this yr have been solely barely beneath earlier projections, with a imply 3.1% advantage enhance, versus a 3.2% projection in October 2025, in keeping with the most recent Mercer QuickPulse Compensation Planning Survey.
- Common complete will increase have been 3.4%, versus a predicted 3.5%, per the report.
- In the meantime, simply 4% of employers gave employees equal, across-the-board wage will increase, additionally known as “peanut butter” raises, quite than advantage will increase, Mercer discovered. Most nonetheless use a mix of particular person efficiency and place relative to market worth or relative to friends.
Dive Perception:
The recognition of peanut butter raises is rising, in keeping with Payscale’s 2026 Compensation Greatest Practices Report. Payscale discovered that 16% of firms are able to implement these across-the-board raises, and one other 18% are contemplating it.
Nonetheless, Mercer’s examine reveals that spreading a set wage price range evenly throughout workers, no matter efficiency or advantage, has not but grow to be mainstream.
A lot of the 756 employers surveyed mentioned they used a proper wage construction “the place every job is assigned to a pay grade primarily based on market information.” Greater than half mentioned in addition they thought of geographic variations.
By sector, the Mercer survey revealed little or no variation when it got here to advantage enhance percentages. No industries reported common advantage will increase greater than 3.2%, regardless of some optimism from sure sectors, equivalent to excessive tech, which projected a median advantage enhance of three.4% in October.
Whole pay will increase for 2026 have been extra various, with excessive tech providing the very best common complete enhance proportion at 3.6%. By comparability, each transportation gear and retail and wholesale averaged 3.1%, whereas chemical compounds and different manufacturing each averaged 2.9%, making up the decrease finish of complete will increase.
Healthcare providers firms weren’t on the backside of the dimensions in 2026, in contrast to earlier years, Mercer mentioned. That sector gave out a median 3% enhance in advantage pay and three.3% enhance in complete pay.
