Aug. 4, 2009 — Washington, D.C. — WorldatWork announces its Top 10 List of Major Metro Areas for Getting a Raise in 2009. The list is basedontheresults of theannual WorldatWork Salary Budget Survey, the largest survey of its kind with more than 2,600 respondents representing 16 million U.S. employees.
Washington, D.C., tops the list of U.S. major metro areas with a planned salary increase of 2.3% for middle performers in 2009. “The Washington, D.C., labor market is dynamic and competitive when it comes to attracting, motivating and retaining talent,” said Paul Rowson, managing director of the WorldatWork Washington Office and Conference Center. “Many organizations have chosen to locate here because of opportunities to do business with the federal government. With a projected 350,000 federal sector job openings in 2010, it’s easy to see why the Washington, D.C., labor market will continue to offer competitive compensation to keep top talent.”
Tampa and Boston rank second and third on the WorldatWork list. Both are awarding an average of 2.2% salary increases for middle performers, though more Tampa employers are planning to award raises this year: 79% compared to Boston’s 77%.
WorldatWork Top 10 Major Metro Areas for Getting a Raise in 2009*
Average Raise
% of companies giving raises
Washington, D.C.
2.30%
77%
Tampa
2.20%
79%
Boston
2.20%
77%
Philadelphia
2.10%
77%
Denver
2.10%
76%
Chicago
2.10%
76%
Cincinnati
2.10%
75%
Dallas
2.10%
75%
New York
2.10%
75%
Baltimore
2.10%
75%
*Based on average pay increases for middle performers, percentage of companies planning to award raises and percentage of employees in that metro area receiving a raise (not shown).
About the Survey
WorldatWork collected survey data in April 2009. Survey respondents are WorldatWork members employed in the HR, compensation and benefits departments of mostly large U.S. companies. The 25 largest metro areas were chosen based on several indexes, primarily population and employee base. A free Webinar to understand and apply the results will be held on Aug. 25 for HR practitioners involved in compensation.
Are these average increases in the two percent range based on ALL employees (including the 25% who received a "0% increase"), or are they based only on the 75% of people who received an increase greater than 0%?
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