US salary budgets for 2026 are expected to remain stable at 3.4%, the same as the actual salary budget increase for 2025. Inflation expectations have regulated across many economies, reducing the need for reactive pay increases and instead allowing organizations to plan proactively. This is according to the latest Salary Budget Planning Survey from leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, WTW (NASDAQ:WTW). READ MORE
Four strategies for negotiating value-based compensation
New year, new pay bump?
Experts say that the best time to ask for a raise is when you’ve earned one (i.e., your role/responsibilities have changed, your work has resulted in a notable impact, etc). However, January is usually when a new fiscal year starts. It also often directly follows annual performance appraisals (usually completed in December). After a positive performance review and/or after your organization’s budget has been allocated, is as good a time as any to ask for a wage increase. READ MORE
SMBs hiked year-end bonuses 11.5% in a signal of ‘optimism’
A new report has found that the average year-end bonus for 2025 was much more generous and widespread than the previous year within the nation’s small business sector.
The 2025 Year-End Bonus report from Gusto, which manages payroll, HR and benefits needs for small businesses, found that the average bonus paid to employees at U.S. small businesses increased 11.5% in December 2025 compared with December 2024. This figure well outpaces inflation, which hovered around 3% for most of the year. READ MORE
Men Are Revealing Their Jobs And Salaries, And I'm Actually Stunned By What Some Of Them Are Bringing Home
A while back, we wrote about the various salaries people were earning from their work. Then, a TON of readers shared their own, and it was just as fascinating. Here are some of those responses from our male readers: READ MORE
Why you might get a "peanut butter"-style pay raise in 2026
Your 2026 pay raise could be a "peanut-butter"-style increase, with new research from compensation expert Payscale finding more than four in 10 companies are opting to give identical, across-the-board hikes rather than merit-based raises.
This year, 44% of companies plan to rely on the peanut-butter approach — a method of evenly spreading pay hikes across the workforce — according to a new report from Payscale. READ MORE
2026 Board Focuses: Comp Design, Proxy Roles, Governance, AI and More
As 2026 kicks off, corporate boards of directors face a governance environment defined by rapid change and heightened complexity. Economic volatility, regulatory developments and technological disruption are reshaping the expectations placed on directors. To navigate this evolving landscape, consulting firm WTW identified five priorities that merit focused attention as boards of directors prepare for the year ahead. READ MORE
How tech billionaires spurred an exodus from California
In late December, White House official and tech investor David Sacks made a cryptic post on X: “Message received,” he wrote, above a photo of anti-billionaire demonstrators gathered in front of his San Francisco mansion.
The post made public what Sacks and other billionaires had been planning privately: They were plotting to leave California in protest of a proposed wealth tax that would impact the state’s richest residents. READ MORE
Apple CEO sparks outrage after report uncovers staggering truth about salary: 'That's kinda surprising'
Apple CEO Tim Cook's compensation highlighted the widening gap between the rich and middle class, according to Fortune.
Cook scored $74.6 million in 2024, which is 18% more than he landed in 2023. It included $58.1 million in stocks, $12 million in performance bonuses, and $1.5 million in other recompense. At that rate, he made the annual salary of the average American within seven hours. READ MORE
Colorado May Have Sparked a Push for Salary Transparency
Colorado cracked open the culture of secrecy around salaries when it started forcing employers to include pay ranges in job postings. It also sparked an international trend.
Since the state’s rule took effect in 2021, about a dozen other states across the US have adopted similar requirements, and the European Union will follow suit later this year. READ MORE
Sophisticated TSR-Based PSU Valuation in Executive Compensation
In today’s governance landscape, 95% of S&P 500 companies now utilize Performance Share Units (PSUs) in their executive compensation frameworks—a substantial increase from 76% in 2012. This shift reflects the market’s demand for stronger pay-for-performance alignment, with PSUs now constituting approximately 60% of the average CEO’s long-term incentive mix. Particularly notable is the widespread adoption of Total Shareholder Return (TSR) metrics, with 72% of S&P 500 companies incorporating relative TSR in their long-term incentive plans [1]. READ MORE
AI is turning Big Tech into a superstar economy
Silicon Valley is sending a clear message about how staff should perform, and how it wants to pay them.
Instead of obsessing over punishing the bottom of the stack, Big Tech is increasingly choosing to shower rewards on the top: READ MORE
What CHRO Compensation Tells Us About a Firm’s Human Capital Strategy
The growing importance of human capital continues to elevate the role of the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO). However, the title alone does not indicate how much influence or strategic weight the role carries, as the scope and decision-making authority of the CHRO role vary widely across companies. READ MORE
Why is Trump threatening defense firms?
President Donald Trump giveth to defense contractors and he also taketh away. Trump says he wants a major boost in defense spending, which contractors undoubtedly welcome. But he has also ordered a crackdown on executive pay and stock buybacks at the companies that make armaments for the United States.
Trump’s financial threat against defense firms came just “hours before saying he’s decided to substantially increase the defense budget” to $1.5 trillion, said CNN. The U.S. makes the “best military equipment in the world,” the president said in a Truth Social post. But the taxpayer cash that ends up going to defense company stock buybacks comes at the “expense and detriment of investing in plants and equipment.” No executive at those firms should make more than $5 million a year, he said. READ MORE
Interns Prioritize Hands-On Experience and Networking Over Compensation
A big paycheck is nice, but what interns really want is a chance to gain practical work experience, make in-office connections and secure a full-time job.
That's according to the 2025 U.S. News Intern Survey, which asked 1,740 interns and aspiring interns about their preferences regarding internship benefits, work arrangements and company size. READ MORE
Front-line workers say pay and flexibility are top 2026 priorities
Front-line workers — meaning employees who need to do their jobs in person, as well as workers who build products and serve customers, patients, students and residents — comprise almost 80% of the global workforce, according to the UKG, which cited Statista and research firm Gartner.
In the U.S., front-line workers make up 70% of the workforce, according to a 2025 study by HR advisory firm The Josh Bersin Co. in collaboration with UKG. That same study found that these workers are increasingly difficult to find, train and retain. READ MORE
Top 10 AI skills that can boost salaries by up to 75%
Research from Resume.ai indicates that mastering certain AI skills can lead to salaries of up to $180,630 annually. Competency in these in-demand skills, such as deep learning, machine learning and TensorFlow, can boost potential earnings by 60 to 75%.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly accessible, allowing ambitious professionals across various fields to adapt and thrive in the evolving job market. Despite nearly all human resources leaders stating that AI training is available within their organizations, only about one-third of employees have actually received such training. READ MORE
Workers Are Afraid to Ask for a Raise. Is This Good News or Bad News?
Your employees are likely afraid to ask for a pay raise — and that should be concerning.
A recent surveyOpen in a new tab by career advising platform Zety found 3 in 5 workers are willing to accept a smaller pay raise, or no increase at all, because they’re worried about job security and layoffs. Additionally, 66% of the respondents said they simply aren’t willing to ask for a raise right now — a significantly higherOpen in a new tab proportion than those expressing the same sentiment in a B2B Reviews survey in 2023. READ MORE
Top 10 Best-Paid Cybersecurity Jobs in 2026 (Highest Salary Roles Ranked)Top 10 Best-Paid Cybersecurity Jobs in 2026 (Highest Salary Roles Ranked)
CISOs and principal cybersecurity engineers top the 2026 pay charts: CISOs commonly command base salaries of roughly $220,000 to $420,000 and total compensation that often reaches $420,000 to $500,000 or more, while principal engineers typically earn base pay around $160,000 to $208,000 with total packages frequently above $225,000. They stand out because CISOs carry organization-wide accountability and executive pay premiums, while principal engineers earn top dollars for deep, hands-on technical problem solving; beginners can start toward these lanes with structured, affordable training such as Nucamp’s 15-week Cybersecurity Fundamentals Bootcamp, which costs about $2,124 and prepares students for entry-level roles. READ MORE
Trump calls for capping executive pay at defense contractors
President Donald Trump put defense contractors on notice today. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said his administration is capping executive compensation at $5 million and prohibiting companies from doing stock buybacks and paying out dividends to shareholders.
President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday evening putting these restrictions in place at a policy level. READ MORE
Build Better Pay-for-Performance (PFP) Compensation Plans
High performers are attracted to organizations that use pay-for-performance — but this model can also have downsides. Consider these strategies to improve your system. READ MORE