{"id":11032,"date":"2025-11-22T06:30:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T11:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/?post_type=resources&p=11032"},"modified":"2026-10-09T10:36:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:36:49","slug":"salary-budget-2026-a-steady-metric-in-a-rocky-climate","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-strategy\/hr-kpis\/salary-budget-2026-a-steady-metric-in-a-rocky-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"Salary budget 2026: A steady metric in a rocky climate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Victoria Kelleher, SHRM-CP<\/strong>, Brightmine Lead Survey Specialist<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Several metrics from 2025 point to an unsteady job climate in the United States this year. Corresponding with a rising unemployment rate and dwindling job openings, metrics for October<\/a> indicate that 2025 has been the worst year for layoffs since 2009. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These outcomes are likely driven by a flurry of macroeconomic pressures, including stubborn elevated inflation rates and the long-term effects of abnormal hiring trends and interest rate fluctuations. Data shows that employers are facing unusually strong budget pressures due to the sustained costs of an unpredictable economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Salary Budget Projections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Employers often respond to increasing costs or uncertain economic trends by identifying opportunities to cut costs. Overall salary budget is often on the table, since employee compensation is usually the highest operating expense for businesses across sectors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent pulse survey from Brightmine found that the average projected change for total salary budgets from 2025 to 2026 is an increase of 2.8%<\/strong>. This rate is only slightly lower than in previous years, where the metric has typically hovered at or above 3 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the slight decrease in percentage relative to last year, more than half of companies reported that they intend to increase their budgets at least slightly (see Chart 1). However, nearly a third of companies indicated that there are no intended changes. Additionally, 10% of companies indicated an intent to decrease the salary budget, in contrast to only 4% of companies in last year’s survey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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