Survey: 2012 May Bring Moderate Pay Raises

Amid the uncertain economic conditions of today, United States employers are planning to increase employee wages by an average of 2.8 percent in 2012, according to a new survey from human resources consulting firm Towers Watson. The figure is an increase over the average raise of 2.6 experienced in 2010 and 2011, but it's less than raises in the last decade.

"Until the economy shows some solid and consistent improvement, most companies are keeping their salary budgets relatively tight," Laura Sejen, of Towers Watson, said in a press release. "At the same time, companies also recognize the need to reward their top performers or risk losing them to competitors and, as a result, continue to differentiate pay raises based on individual performance."

Towers Watson also conducted a survey of 316 North American companies and found that their average projected bonus funding for 2010 performance is 101 percent of their target, which is the second consecutive year they've been able to fully fund them.

Ultimately, the survey results offer a mixed view on the future. While raises are experiencing just slight gains, most companies are expecting increased profits and revenues. Similarly, unemployment numbers dipped slightly in July to 9.1 percent, down from 9.2 percent in June, according to the United States Department of Labor.