The Rise of Skills-Based Rewards, and What You Must Do About It

Recent reports show that half of HR leaders see skills shortages as a top corporate threatOpen in a new tab in the coming year, and experts predict 70% of the skills used in most jobs will changeOpen in a new tab by 2030. Will organizations be ready to address any potential skills gaps? A survey of 1,100 talent, rewards and HR global leaders generally reflects optimism toward accomplishing this. READ MORE

Cost-Benefit Analysis May Help You Maximize Your Offering Spend

Employers collectively pour $3 trillionOpen in a new tab each year into benefits programs for their workers — but due to a lack of employee understanding or utilization and outdated or clunky program design, those organizations are finding that the benefits investment often isn’t generating expected returns.

Only 26% of employeesOpen in a new tab are “very satisfied” with their benefits, according to recent research from benefits technology company Nayya — leading to 37% higher absenteeism, 18% lower productivity, 15% lower profitability and significantly increased likelihood of attrition. READ MORE

What is the average salary by state in 2025? Full breakdown

While wages in the United States have increased in recent years, many families are still suffering the consequences of high inflation, and wage levels vary considerably, not only by profession, but also by geographical location.

The following chart shows the average salary by state for the entire United States, using the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in March 2025. The figures represent total private hourly earnings, not seasonally adjusted. READ MORE

The top 10 worst-paying college majors revealed — with median salaries as low as $40K

Your degree might not pay the bills.

College graduates who studied education, social work or the arts wind up earning the lowest median income within five years post-grad, recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed.

As Fortune reported, the top of the bottom five majors with a low median annual income are anthropology and early childhood education majors, who make a median salary of $42,000. READ MORE

Executive pay is starting to look the same everywhere: That could hurt performance, study suggests

Corporate boards are increasingly paying their chief executives similarly — a shift that could weaken company performance.

A new study from Virginia Tech finds that CEO compensation has become 24% more similar across public firms since 2006. Researchers measured the change using a composite index that tracks how companies structure pay—including salary, bonuses, stock awards, and other incentives. READ MORE

The Right Way To Answer 'What’s Your Salary Expectation?'

During a job interview, “What’s your salary expectation?” is one of the trickiest questions you'll be asked—and one of the most important.

It can feel like a mind game. Answer too low, and you risk getting lowballed; too high, and you might be out of the running. While studies have established that failing to negotiate your salary could end up significantly costing you, most job seekers are reluctant because they fear jeopardizing a deal. READ MORE

Here’s the Salary Needed To Actually Take Home $150K in Every State

With current cost-of-living demands, the inflation hangover of the COVID-19 era and the ongoing economic uncertainty generated by President Donald Trump’s tariffs against America’s trade partners, a healthy salary is more important than ever.

The American middle class is making anywhere from $50,000 and $160,000 annually — so how much must one earn (before taxes) to be on the upper end of that spectrum, earning $150,000 per year? READ MORE

‘Don’t worry’ about your salary early in your career, Warren Buffett says—focus on this ‘enormously important’ factor instead

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett announced at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on May 3 that he will step down as chief executive at the end of this year. He will stay on as chairman.

Since taking over what was once a struggling textile company in 1965, Buffett has turned Berkshire Hathaway into one of the largest conglomerates in the U.S. Under his leadership, Berkshire hit a market cap of $1 trillion in 2024. The legendary investor is also one of the richest people in the world, worth an estimated $160 billion. READ MORE

Diving into the quality of ESG and sustainability metrics in executive compensation

There is a growing focus on the quality of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability incentive metrics as prevalence levels of these metrics have started to reach a plateau, according to the results of a recent WTW global study.

Additionally, our study with several major investment firms reinforced the importance for companies to disclose necessary information for them to have confidence in the quality of ESG and sustainability metrics. This information can be characterized by three key interconnected principles detailed in this paper: READ MORE

ISS reports decrease in executive pay rises

Chief executives of large-cap companies saw a median pay increase of 7.5 percent between 2024 and 2025 despite ‘market turbulence’, according to the latest data from ISS-Corporate.

The firm, which provides data and analytics to corporations, scrutinized the salaries of CEOs at 320 S&P 500 companies. Salary growth is down slightly from the year before, when it grew 9.2 percent. READ MORE

2025 raises fell short of employers’ recent projections

“Our latest data indicates a moderation in base pay increases, reflecting the evolving dynamics of the labor market,” Lauren Mason, Mercer’s U.S. workforce solutions leader, said in a statement. “With heightened economic uncertainty, employers are focused on maximizing compensation impact through strategic decisions, such as proactively rewarding high performance.” 

In the survey of more than 800 U.S. companies, employers said they expected to promote about 10% of their workforce, up from 8% the previous year, and to award an average raise of 8.5% with promotions.  READ MORE

‘Year of Contention’: Employers Mull Tight Budgets, Pay Expectations

Amid rising labor and political tensions, 2025 will most likely be a “year of contention,”Open in a new tab with employers tightening budgets and employees advocating for fair pay and better working conditions, according to Payscale’s latest Compensation Best Practices ReportOpen in a new tab. Released in March, the report revealed workplace and compensation trends, analyzing data and insights from nearly 3,600 primarily U.S.-based industry professionals. READ MORE

Salary history bans: A running list of states and localities that have outlawed pay history questions

State and local governments are increasingly adopting laws and regulations that prohibit employers from requesting salary history information from job applicants.

The laws are aimed at ending the cycle of pay discrimination and some go further than merely banning pay history questions. A few also prohibit an employer from relying on an applicant’s pay history to set compensation if discovered or volunteered; others prohibit an employer from taking disciplinary action against employees who discuss pay with coworkers. READ MORE