Compensation Trends for Comp Professionals

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Ringing in the raises: 2026 minimum wages changes you need to know

Minimum wage laws are getting a New Year's makeover. Twenty states are raising rates on January 1, 2026, along with many U.S. cities. Time to budget accordingly.

Survey participation is time-consuming and costly. Here's what you can do about it.

HR teams burn weeks wrestling with spreadsheets, tracking deadlines, and fixing submission errors. At $4.86 per manual entry, survey participation isn't just painful. It's expensive.

Employers brace for health benefits spike

Health benefits are breaking records with renewals climbing by 10-15%. Employers can't afford to do nothing. Here's how to control skyrocketing healthcare costs without breaking employee trust.

Will pay transparency make every employee's salary the same?

Pay transparency requires justifying pay differences, not giving employees identical salaries. Discover how pay equity differs from equality and how to prepare for the impact of pay transparency laws.

Forget HR mission statements. What you pay is more important than what you say.

Pay equity has been an unfulfilled promise since the 1860s. With DEI on the retreat, we're still waiting. Companies issue diversity pledges while women and people of color still earn less for identical work. Want to prove your commitment to equal pay? Pay your people with transparency.

Wage growth slows for many workers, while some industries see salary spikes

While the U.S. labor market wobbles and wage growth slows nationally, some industries are defying gravity. Oil & Gas leads with 8% salary spikes, with Electronics and Construction follow close behind — proving averages don't tell your industry's story.

Breaking your own rules (the right way): managing exceptions during pay increases cycles

Exceptions are inevitable during annual pay cycles. Learn how to identify common exception scenarios, document decisions systematically, and spot patterns that signal deeper compensation problems requiring structural fixes.

Pay compression: definition, causes, and solutions for HR leaders

You see pay compression happen when starting salaries for new employees in a particular job title are set too close to the wages of your existing workers. In really awful circumstances, the starting salaries exceed what your current employees are earning, even if your tenured employees have more skills and experience.

How AI is reshaping your workforce

Early-career hiring in AI-exposed roles has dropped sharply since ChatGPT's launch. As AI eliminates entry-level work, HR leaders must rethink compensation, upskill existing talent, and use real-time data to stay competitive

How HR learned to love the bottom line

Leadership doesn't fund "compensation strategies." They back compensation decisions that help them meet revenue targets. If you can't connect pay to revenue, gross margins, and ROI, you'll lose every budget battle.

AI skills are in demand, and employers are paying big bucks for them

AI skills are commanding higher salaries across many industries. From technology to manufacturing, employers are paying steep premiums for AI-fluent talent. Do you know how to price AI positions?

Compensation trends: Modern perspectives on pay