Salaried employees in metro Denver are on track to receive some of the biggest pay increases in the country this year and next, according to a survey Monday from Aon Hewitt, a human-resources firm.
Aon Hewitt surveyed more than 1,300 companies and found that nationally, the average increase in base pay for salaried workers this year was 2.8 percent, up from 2.7 percent in 2011. Respondents expected pay increases to average 3 percent next year.
In metro Denver, the survey found a 3.2 percent increase on average this year and a 3.6 percent hike next year, the largest measured of any major metro area.
The pay increases, however, continue to lag the pre-recession averages, when salary increases of 4 percent or more were common. And they are struggling to match last year’s inflation rate.
The Consumer Price Index for Denver-Boulder rose at a 3.6 percent annualized rate in the second half of last year. The U.S. Consumer Price Index in 2011 rose 3.2 percent.
The industries expected to pass on the biggest pay increases next year are mining, 3.8 percent; computers and energy, both at 3.6 percent; and auto manufacturing at 3.3 percent.
