FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2025
MRA Launches 2025 Compensation Trends Survey: Insights Reveal Shifts in Pay Transparency, Merit Increases, and Economic Outlook
Waukesha, WI — MRA is excited to announce the launch of its 2025 Compensation Trends Survey, offering timely and actionable insights into how organizations are navigating compensation strategy amid economic uncertainty, evolving legislation, and shifting workplace expectations.
“It can be challenging for organizations to stay current with compensation trends while understanding their organizational impacts,” said Brittany Rittershaus, Surveys Manager at MRA. “This year’s survey results reflect a market where transparency, equity, and strategic planning are more essential than ever.”
Key Findings from the 2025 Survey:
- Economic Outlook: Just over half of respondents (52%) expect the U.S. economy to remain stable this year—down from 60% last year. With 22% anticipating a decline and 26% expecting improvement, organizations are cautiously navigating rising prices, tariffs, and market shifts that directly impact compensation planning.
- Merit Increases: Organizations reported an average merit increase of 3.6% over the past 12 months, with projected increases averaging 3.4% for 2026. While budgets tighten, many employers are exploring non-monetary rewards such as career development, flexible schedules, and wellness initiatives to maintain engagement.
- Pay Transparency: Transparency continues to gain traction, with 45% of organizations providing or planning to provide formal training to managers on pay communications. Sharing pay ranges for open positions remains the most common transparency practice, helping bridge the gap between perception and reality.
- Compensation Philosophy: The top three drivers of compensation strategy in 2026 are Retention, Budget, and Talent Acquisition. More organizations are formalizing their compensation philosophies to ensure fairness and accountability, though many still report gaps in structure and consistency.
- Pay Equity: Organizations are prioritizing regular pay equity audits, standardized pay structures, and consistent job descriptions to ensure compensation decisions are free from bias and aligned with compliance and retention goals.
Why This Survey Matters
This year’s survey includes expanded data on merit increases, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), and general pay movements, along with refined questions around pay equity analysis, market analysis frequency, and transparency in pay decisions. These updates provide a clearer picture of how organizations are responding to economic pressures and employee expectations.
“Compensation is evolving fast—from compliance to culture,” Rittershaus added. “Our survey helps organizations benchmark their strategies and make informed decisions that support both business health and employee engagement.”
Join Us at MRA’s Compensation Conference
Survey findings will be featured at MRA’s virtual Compensation Conference on Thursday, September 11, where Brittany Rittershaus and other experts will present deeper insights and strategic applications. Attendees will gain tools to strengthen their compensation strategies and align with emerging trends.
For more information on the survey, visit https://www.mranet.org/survey/2025-compensation-trends-survey.
To join MRA at the 2025 Compensation Conference, visit https://www.mranet.org/compensation-conference.
About MRA
For over 120 years, MRA has focused on delivering best-in-class HR services customized to meet your business needs. Through our proven approach to HR excellence, we focus on delivering unmatched expertise and value to businesses —from small- to medium-sized organizations to global corporations. As the largest employer association in the nation, MRA helps its members thrive by offering comprehensive HR services, talent management, learning and development opportunities, and total rewards planning. To learn more about MRA, visit www.mranet.org.
Media Contact:
Lesley Weiss, Marketing Director
[email protected] | 262.696.3334
