---
title: U.S. businesses plan to increase pay raises and lift hiring freezes
description: U.S. employers are planning to dole out the largest pay raises since the beginning of the financial crisis, according to several experts' predictions.
---

[Skip to content](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes#main-content)

[![IES Logo_Full-ColorNavy](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IES%20Logo_Full-ColorNavy.png?width=300&height=140&name=IES%20Logo_Full-ColorNavy.png)](https://www.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/)

- [Innovative Employee Solutions Blog](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com)

- [Innovative Employee Solutions Blog](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com)

<https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes&url=https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes&source=tweetbutton> <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes> <http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes> [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes)

February 25, 2011

# U.S. businesses plan to increase pay raises and lift hiring freezes

Written by: [Innovative Employee Solutions](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/author/innovativeemployeesolutions)

U.S. employers are planning to dole out the largest pay raises since the beginning of the financial crisis, according to several experts' predictions.

The consultancy Towers Watson found that companies expect to offer 3 percent merit increases for 2011, up from the 2.7 percent increases awarded to employees on average in 2010. Before the financial crisis, merit increases averaged 3.5 to 4 percent.

BNA, a specialized news publisher, recently released its Wage Trend Indicator, which rose to 98.00 - up from 97.42 in the fourth quarter. The organization anticipates that wage increases for private-sector workers in coming months will reach 2.0 percent, up from the 1.8 percent increase in private sector wages in 2010, based on Department of Labor data.

Rising wages indicate that businesses are continuing to recover in the wake of the recession. As company coffers expand, HR administration teams will have enough funds to expand hiring of temporary workers through payrolling services.

The Towers Watson survey also found that many businesses are lifting hiring freezes, with 40 percent of companies looking to add professional and technical workers to their payrolls. Fifty-four percent reported having problems attracting critical-skill workers. The contract workforce is a great resource of skilled professionals who can meet specific business needs.  

Tag(s): [Human Resource Management](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/tag/human-resource-management)

## [Innovative Employee Solutions](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/author/innovativeemployeesolutions)

## Other posts you might be interested in

View All Posts

## [Blog 1 min read | September 15, 2011 OFCCP slams mozzarella producer for unfair hiring practices Read More](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/ofccp-slams-mozzarella-producer-for-unfair-hiring-practices)

## [Blog 2 min read | February 1, 2013 US posts modest employment figures Read More](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/us-posts-modest-employment-figures)

## [Blog 1 min read | July 19, 2011 Atlanta reports hiring up due in part to contract workers Read More](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/atlanta-reports-hiring-up-due-in-part-to-contract-workers)

## Subscribe to email updates

Additional content around the benefits of subscribing to this blog feed.

- [Innovative Employee Solutions Blog](https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com)

 © 2014-2026 Innovative Employee Solutions. All rights reserved.

<https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovativeemployeesolutions/> <https://www.facebook.com/innovativeemployeesolutions> <https://twitter.com/innovativees> <https://www.instagram.com/innovativeemployeesolutions/> <https://www.youtube.com/user/InnovativeEmployees>

[CSR policy](https://www.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/corporate-social-responsibility-policy/) [Diversity & Inclusion](https://www.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-diversity-inclusion-policy/) [Privacy policies](https://www.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/privacy-policies/)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Innovative Employee Solutions",
    "url" : "https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/author/innovativeemployeesolutions"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2024-04-24T19:03:07.152Z",
  "datePublished" : "2011-02-25T18:11:13.000Z",
  "headline" : "U.S. businesses plan to increase pay raises and lift hiring freezes",
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/ies-blog-nb-24/blog/human-resource-management/u-s-businesses-plan-to-increase-pay-raises-and-lift-hiring-freezes",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://blog.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/hubfs/Signature-TaglineKarla.png"
    },
    "name" : "Innovative Employee Solutions"
  }
}
```