A study from Hewitt Associates predicts only a 3.8% bump in the base salaries of American workers in 2009, as more companies rely on one-time performance rewards that don't commit them to long-term cost increases. Such one-time increases now account for almost 75% of yearly total compensation growth; ten years ago, base salary increases accounted for more than half of that total.
See "Study: US workers can expect skimpy base salary raises next year; bigger bumps in merit pay", Chicago Tribune, September 1, 2008