Upper Saddle River, N.J. - September 19, 2006 – As year-end is rapidly approaching, companies are beginning to scramble to finalize their salary budgets for the next year. It is time for Human Resource professionals to put their thinking caps on and make important merit increase decisions throughout the next couple of months.

According to a recent survey published by WorldatWork, total salary budget increases and salary structure increases will increase slightly for 2007 . Overall results indicate that general increases/cost of living increases, merit increases, and total increases show a steady increase from 2004 to 2007.

When evaluating salary budget increases, salary structure movements, etc. at the end of each year, companies should consider testing the marketplace to determine if there are any significant changes in compensation for their positions. For companies that intend to maintain parity with the compensation levels within their appropriate labor markets, companies should consider conducting a benchmark study every two (2) years (or more often for other jobs, as needed) to assess any discrepancies that may exist between the actual pay and the marketplace. Any adjustments necessary would then be a factor in the salary planning process.

Compensation Resources, Inc. (CRI) will be releasing its annual Year-End Compensation Survey “Forecasting & Planning” in November 2006. Please check your email to find a copy of the questionnaire in late September, and submit your responses to receive a free copy of the survey results. You may also access the questionnaire online at www.compensationresources.com. This data will provide the latest figures that can be used in conjunction with the above data for budget decisions.