Salary budgets for 2025 are growing at a near record pace

Hiring is slowing across the country, but for people whose job is secure, a bigger paycheck could be on the way in 2025.

Salary budgets for next year are projected to increase at close to the fastest pace in two decades, according to a new report from The Conference Board, a nonprofit business research group with over 1,000 public and private company clients across 60 countries. While that’s not directly tied to people’s raises, it’s often one of the best barometers of upcoming salary increases. READ MORE

From Chipotle To Starbucks: Brian Niccol's $113M Pay Package And Its Implications For The Coffee Chain

Brian Niccol is stepping away as CEO of Chipotle and shaking things up as the new chairman and CEO of Starbucks. He will receive a history-making pay package of $113 million, four times that of his predecessor. Niccol will assume his role on Sept. 9, with Starbucks' chief financial officer serving as interim CEO until then.

Niccol's package includes a $10 million sign-on bonus, $75 million of extra stock options to compensate for lost shares from Chipotle, and a remote office near his California home, with access to a company jet for travel to Seattle headquarters when needed. READ MORE

'Windfall' fees now less likely for lawyers who sued to cut Musk's Tesla pay

The lawyers who sued successfully to void Tesla CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package are seeking a record $6 billion in fees, and the judge who will decide the amount got some unsolicited guidance this month from the state's top court: Do not give windfalls.

Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware's Court of Chancery is weighing two decisions that will have a multibillion-dollar impact on Tesla and its investors. One issue is the request for the huge fee for voiding Musk's pay. The other is whether a June vote by Tesla shareholders actually restored the pay package, in which case a large fee may not be appropriate. READ MORE

Washington, DC, is the best place in the US for pay and good jobs. See the other top states.

If you want high wages — and a strong union — you may want to head to the nation's capital.

The District of Columbia ranks higher than any state on a new index from Oxfam measuring which US states are best for workers. You can chalk that up to the district's high minimum wage and robust unemployment benefits, two of the key policies that help dictate one of the dimensions Oxfam uses in its ratings. READ MORE

Yes, you should still apply for a job with a lower salary range. Here’s why

Has your heart ever skipped a beat while reading a job description that’s checked off every one of your boxes, only to falter when you see the listed salary range is less than what you’re making? 

Recent salary transparency laws are a step forward in narrowing pay inequality, but they haven’t come without a few growing pains—like vast salary bands that defeat the purpose of a range in the first place or lower ranges that scare off potential applicants from an otherwise great role. READ MORE

Conducting Compensation Studies To Retain High-Performing Employees

In the ever-evolving economic landscape, especially in high-cost cities and states, business leaders must stay flexible and responsive to the needs of their workforce. As the chief operating officer of Child Action, Incorporated (CAI), I have seen firsthand the struggles many employees face in covering basic expenses like housing, food, child care and transportation. I’ve watched dedicated team members juggle multiple jobs to support their families and experienced the loss of talented employees who resigned for positions with better pay or more robust benefits. READ MORE

No tax on tips debate heats up as restaurant chef, server clash over how they're paid

The 2024 election cycle has spurred another cultural uproar about tipping in the restaurant industry, and workers from the front and back-of-house want to make sure their takes on the debate are heard.

"It would be huge. But also, it goes both ways," New York tri-state area executive chef Matt Alexander, commonly known as "Chef Nasty," told Fox News Digital. "I do believe that we should just eliminate tipping entirely. I think that you would gain a superior experience if you were just to pay people a higher wage." READ MORE

US appeals court scraps Biden tipped wages rule

A U.S. appeals court on Friday struck down a rule adopted by President Joe Biden's administration designed to raise pay for tipped workers, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that curtailed federal agencies' ability to issue regulations.

A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided unanimously with two restaurant industry trade groups in finding that the U.S. Department of Labor's 2021 rule was contrary to federal labor law. READ MORE

5 golden rules for creating a compensation plan your sales team will praise

By the end of the fiscal year, 18% of your sales team will show themselves the door. They have their reasons. However, one of the most common explanations for their departure is the company’s compensation plan.

“Many leaders do a great job. But far too often, the best people quit,” said AJ Bruno at QuotaPath. “While it’s partially due to a sink-or-swim landscape, many sales managers are actively driving away their best reps with unfair rules, nontransparent policies, ever-changing comp plans and mindless busywork.” READ MORE

16 Highest-Paying Jobs For Myers-Briggs Personality Types In 2024

Earlier this year, I wrote a piece for Forbes.com about a Resume Genius report identifying the 10 highest-paying jobs for introverts in 2024. Now, there’s a new analysis that matches your personality type to 16 of the highest-paying jobs available this year, some offering six-figure salaries that could guide you to a higher-paying career. To help job seekers discover these opportunities, Resume Genius released its Myers-Briggs Highest-Paying Jobs Report, matching the best-paying careers for each of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types in 2024. READ MORE

4,500 Companies Now Pay Their Employees in Bitcoin Using Bitwage

As Bitwage celebrated its 10-year anniversary today, the company highlighted its growth in enabling Bitcoin and crypto payroll solutions. Since 2014, Bitwage has focused on bringing transparency and efficiency to global workforce payments.

Bitcoin and crypto payroll platform Bitwage announced it now serves over 4,500 registered companies and 90,000 registered users that leverage its services to pay employee salaries in Bitcoin and stablecoins. READ MORE

An Innovative, Best-Fit Approach to Design Executive Comp Programs

Executive compensation design has truly evolved over the past three decades. In the mid-1990s, the typical executive pay package was base salary, annual incentives and a grant of plain-vanilla stock options. The attraction of options was due to the technology industry’s influence (plus the strength of the “dot.com” stock market) and the lack of accounting expenses on option grants. READ MORE

What Is Happening With Salary Increases In 2024?

The first six months of 2024 ushered in a notable decline in salary increases in many countries around the world, while remaining higher than averages over the past 20 years and generally above inflation. Amidst market volatility and changes, effective leaders understand and plan for the relationship among salary increases, labor shortages, inflation, and recession concerns. READ MORE

Change your job for better salary, company loyalty doesn’t pay, says HR expert; but, there’s a catch

"I don’t think loyalty pays off," said Vera Lau, a 27-year-old who has worked at three different firms over the years on the concept of corporate loyalty.

Talking to CNBC Make It, Lau, who is part of the generation that has been challenging corporate norms, GenZ, said that loyalty is “very transactional.”

"You’re only valuable for as long as they see you as valuable. If you don’t learn and you don’t earn, it’s time to go," she said. READ MORE