Global business survey finds strengthening wage growth but continued stagnant hiring

18 July 2012

Two-thirds (68%) of businesses around the world plan to increase employee wages but at the same time, only 39% plan to increase their workforce, according to the Grant Thornton International Business Report, a global survey of 3,000 businesses in 40 countries.

The wage increase is 3% higher than three months earlier, while hiring is down 1% over that same time.

Wage increases will be greatest in North America where 87% plan increases (up from 76%) and lowest in the PIGS region, where 24% will increase wages, down from 36% three months earlier.

Hiring will be strongest in Latin America where 54% will increase their workforce (up from 49%) and weakest in the PIGS region where only 13% will increase hiring (up from 10% three months earlier).

The survey was conducted by Experian in May and June 2012 as part of the Grant Thornton International Business Report, a quarterly global business survey of public and private businesses, now in its 20th year.

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