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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
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
In one of every four large American cities, a family can earn six figures and still feel broke.
That’s the takeaway from an analysis by LendingTree, the personal finance site, which measured monthly expenses in the 100 largest metropolitan areas. READ MORE
Figuring out a good salary in 2025 – or in any year – isn’t easy.
The exact number depends on a range of factors, including location, industry, experience level and even remote status. READ MORE
Average salaries differ widely across Europe. The cost of living does too. So, which countries offer the highest pay? And how do salaries compare when adjusted for purchasing power standards?
There are various definitions of salary, wages, and earnings, each reflecting different aspects. The average full-time adjusted salary per employee is particularly useful. READ MORE
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
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
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
“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
Most organizations see the benefit of driving a global sales compensation framework across local countries. READ MORE
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
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
A mid-level Google employee made $331,894 in 2024, a 5% increase from the median salary of $315,531 in 2023, per a new filing submitted by Google's parent company, Alphabet, to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The figure aligns with compensation at other tech giants in recent years. At Meta, for example, the median pay for employees in 2023 was $379,000 a year. READ MORE
The impact of the Trump administration’s evolving tariff regime will be felt by US companies across the board. Many will encounter rising material costs and reduced profit margins, particularly given the significant pressure on the supply chain. Taken together with the recent stock market volatility, companies (both public and private) will need to address the impact of these challenges on their business and, importantly, consider the effects on director and executive compensation programs. READ MORE
Amid fluctuating market conditions, the outlook for initial public offerings (IPOs) on U.S. exchanges in 2025 remains cautiously optimistic, with indications of a potential rise in both the number and aggregate value of public listings in the latter half of the year.
Privately-owned companies considering an IPO should consider taking the following steps to ensure that their executive compensation plans and governance policies are aligned with both continuing and new shareholder expectations. All companies considering an IPO should be able to answer 10 critical executive compensation and governance questions before going public. READ MORE
A recent survey found IT compensation satisfaction has hit a record low, with relatively few IT workers saying they are satisfied with their pay. Industry observers, however, suggest the issue might not be entirely about money, leaving CIOs with options for boosting morale on thin budgets.
In its latest IT salary survey, tech careers site Dice found IT worker compensation satisfaction has recently plunged, “with only 41% of tech professionals reporting they were either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied with their compensation. This represents a significant decline from previous years.” READ MORE
Since the enactment of Sec. 280G of the Internal Revenue Code as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1984 (Division A, Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, P.L. 98–369) and the issuance of the final Treasury regulations in 2003, the landscape of executive compensation arrangements has changed significantly. In part, arrangements have developed in response to the use of more sophisticated employer structures, changes in capital markets, and demands of management. The effect is that applying Sec. 280G in certain situations is more challenging because it does not address or contemplate considerations that now arise 40 years post–enactment. This item discusses certain issues that may arise in evaluating the current landscape, but other issues may arise as well. Determining the Sec. 280G consequences requires careful analysis of organizational structure as well as payments and benefits provided under executive compensation arrangements. READ MORE
According to the ADP National Employment Report released on Wednesday, private sector employment increased by 155,000 jobs in March. Year-over-year, annual compensation was up 4.6%.
In March, manufacturing delivered stronger-than-average job gains for the second straight month. Construction hiring slowed. Natural resources and trade, transportation, and utilities lost jobs. READ MORE
With the current economic concerns and disruptive business environment, organizations are unsure about their growth prospects (and from where that growth will come). Worries about tariffs and a potential recession are leading them to revisit their sales compensation plans.
In response to rising costs and potential declines in spending, businesses are increasingly implementing pay-for-performance strategies. The Alexander Group’s recent sales compensation trends surveyOpen in a new tab found 71% of polled organizations are emphasizing this approach in their comp plans. READ MORE
The corks have been popped, the calendar pages turned and a day that promised fresh starts also brought with it some pay bumps for millions of Americans.
Hourly minimum wages increased in 21 states on Wednesday, as part of ongoing efforts to have pay keep up with the rising cost of living or to meet milestones such as a $15-an-hour minimum wage. The increases — which range from 18 cents to $1.75 (hello, Delaware) — are expected to affect more than 9.2 million workers, raising their pay by a combined $5.7 billion, according to the Economic Policy Institute. READ MORE