After the emergency measures implemented at the start of the school year in September, companies are intensifying their efforts to contain wage demands. Between escalating increases and other gestures, all efforts made ultimately equal inflation. In any case, this is what emerges from the latest survey conducted by the Human Resources consultancy Alixio.
“Not everyone is Total and cannot grant a 7% increase,” sums up an expert. However, all companies, including small ones, are now using all the levers to offset inflation and retain or attract employees.
First of all, the increase budgets have just been revised upwards. According to the latest figures from Alixio, 2/3 of the companies expect to increase their workforce by 4.5% on average compared to the 4.3% forecast in September. For comparison, these increases in 2021 amounted to just 2.5%. Another highlight: collective increases are back in force, even for executives, who until now only received individual increases.
The “Macron bonus” is going mainstream
Next, more and more companies plan to pay out shared value bonds, formerly known as Macron bonds, in increasing amounts. According to Alixio, the average amount was 867 euros this year and should exceed 1,000 euros next year.
To this is finally added all the effort made in what is not directly related to salary but adds purchasing power in the day-to-day life of employees: increase in restaurant tickets, support for transport, not 50% but 100%. o Health improvement and pension schemes. All these added elements represent, according to Alixio, almost a 6% increase. That more or less represents the level of inflation.
Emergency measures are no longer enough
If companies are releasing more and more ballast, it is because more and more people think that inflation is not cyclical but that it is likely to last and that emergency measures are suddenly no longer enough. Thus, 84% consider that salary demands will become a lasting part of social relations.
The only problem: for employees, only salary counts. Bonuses and other benefits are not enough to contain tensions, although employees slowly begin to be convinced by all these non-salary elements that weigh more and more.
Source: BFM TV
