Global Salary Forecast 2019:

REGIONAL
Smaller real-wage increases AVERAGES
predicted for most parts of the world.

LATIN MIDDLE EASTERN

AMERICA EAST EUROPE PACIFIC
Salary Salary Salary Salary
Increase Increase Increase Increase

NORTH
4.6% 3.6% WESTERN
6.6% 2.5%
Real Salary Real Salary Real Salary Real Salary
AMERICA Increase
AFRICA Increase
EUROPE Increase
ASIA Increase

1.3% 0.4% 2.0% 0.3%

Salary Salary Salary Salary
Increase Increase Increase Increase

2.8% 7.7% 2.5% 5.6%

Real Salary Real Salary Real Salary Real Salary
Increase Increase Increase Increase

0.6% 0.9% 0.7% 2.6%

GLOBAL
SALARY
NEW ZEALAND

INCREASES
AUSTRA

CANADA

AUSTRIA

M
NIC

PAN

IU

RK
US
USA
ARA

PERU

BELG
LIA 2

MA
R

ND
AMA
HO

ME

CYP
GUA
GU

DEN

LA
ND

CE
XIC

Y
EL

2.6%

3.0%
AT

2.5%

3.0%

FIN

AN
UR

AN
4.0%

3.0%
D

.5%
O
EM
SA
O

2.9%
3.2%

FR
AS

RM
M

%
6.6
LV

CE
AL
IN

2.4
5.5

GE
IC

AD

EE
EC

%
A

D
A

1.8

AN
%
6.1
OR
UA

GR
N

2.0
RE

%
5.0

EL

RG
%
D

CO
3.0
O
PU

IR

U
0%

ST
LY
%
4.
R

BO
BL

A DS
5%

A
2.

EM
IT
5%
IC

RI N
2.

CO A
C X
5%

LO RL
2.

A LU
5.

2%

M E
0%

BI 3. H
ET
2.

A 0 %
CH %
3.
2 N AY
IL 5. R W
E 0% 0% NO
L
BR 3. U GA
AZ 5.
I 0% 0% RT
BO
L 3. PO
LIV 4. N
2% % AI
AR IA 2.1 SP
GE 5.5
NT % % EN
INA 2.4 W ED
S D
VIE
27.
0% .0 % E R LAN
TN 2 ITZ
AM SW
8.8 DOM
THA % 1.5% K ING
ILAN TED
D
5.5% UNI
TAIW
AN, C 2.5%
HINA ENIA
3.9% % ARM
5.3
SINGAP AIJAN
ORE
4.0% .0 % AZERB
8
PHILIPPINES BELARUS
5.8% 8.1%

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 5.0% 4.4% BULGARIA

5.0% 2.9% CROATIA

MALAYSIA

4.5% 4.7% CZECH R

KOREA EPUBLIC
4.1%
N 2.0% ESTO
JAPA NIA
5.8%
7.8% GEO
E S IA RGIA
N
INDO % 5.3%
10.0 HUN
IA
IND 8.4 GAR
Y
% %
4.0 KA
INA 4.9 ZA
CH % % K HS
O NG
, 6.0 TA
N
K LA
NG INA % 5.0 TV
HO CH 9.0
% IA
4. LIT
IA % 0% HU
MB 6.
2
AN
ZA 5.
1% PO IA
DA 0% LA
AN 8. 5. ND
UG 1% 8% RO
A 6.
SI M
NI RU
AN
4.
5%

TU IA IA
1%

SS
6.

N
4.

ZA IA
%

1%
.0

N N
SE
A

20

FE
11

TA
6%
IC

D
FR

.0

B
14

ER
SL
6.

%
IA

IA
%
A

7.8

.0

AT
ER

O
8.0
%
TH

VA
%
IA

TU

I
IG

O
3.7
U

3.0
%

N
B

KI
N
SO

RK
UK
I

4.1

4.0
UE

A
M

%
3.8%
%

EY
6.6
NA

RA
IQ

UZ
.0%

3.0%
O

13.6

%
3.0%
4.8%

3.3%
CC

6.8%
MB

3.9%

4.9%

IN
BA

BE
US

T 15

E
RO
ZA

JO

KI
ITI

HR
NY

KUW
NA

ST
MO

MO

R
UR

LEBA

AIN
KE

ANA

DA

AN
OMAN
EGYP
GHA

ALGERIA

QATAR
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

SAUDI ARABIA
MA

AIT

N
NON
BOTSW

REAL
SALARY
INCREASES
NEW ZEALAND
AUSTRA

CANADA

AUSTRIA

M
NIC

PAN

IU

RK
US
USA
ARA

PERU

BELG
LIA 0

MA
R

ND
AMA
HO

ME

CYP
GUA
GU

DEN

LA
ND

CE
XIC

Y
0.6%
EL

0.3%

0.6%
AT

FIN

AN
1.0%
UR

AN
0.8%
D

1.3%

.2%
O
EM
SA
O

1.4%

FR
1.5%
AS

RM
M

2.7%
LV

CE
AL
IN

1.1%

GE
IC

AD

EE
EC

1.1%
A

0.0

D
A

AN
1.5
OR
UA

GR
N

0.5
RE

EL

RG
%

%
D

CO
.8%
O
PU

1.0

IR

U
8%

ST
LY
2
R

BO
.9
BL

A DS
A
0.
%

EM
IT
IC

CO RI N
1.0

C X LA
1.1

LO A LU
%

R
8%
0.

M E
TH
7%

BI -1
0.

A .2 % E
CH %
1.3
N AY
IL 2. R W
E 1% 5% NO
L
BR 0. U GA
AZ 1.8 RT
% 9%
BO
I L 0. PO
LIV -0
.1% 3% AI
N
AR IA 0. SP
GE 2.3 % N
NT
INA % 0.6 E DE
SW D
VIE -8.
3% 1% R LAN
TN
AM 0. ITZ
E
SW M
THA
4.8
% 0.2
% I N GDO
K
ILAN TED
D
3.9% UNI
TAIW
AN, C 0.6%
HINA ENIA
2.4% ARM
2.1%
SINGAP AN
ORE
3.0% A Z ERBAIJ
3.9%
PHILIPPINES BELARUS
1.3% 2.8%

PAPUA NEW GUINEA -1.2% 1.2% BULGARIA

3.6% 1.4% CROATIA

MALAYSIA

2.8% 2.6% CZECH R

KOREA EPUBLIC
0.8%
N 0.1% ESTO
JAPA NIA
2.5%
3.7% GEO
IA
NES RGIA
INDO % 2.0
%
5.0 HUN
IA
IND 1.8 GAR
Y
1.7% %
KA
INA 2.2 ZA
G , CH 3.2
% % K HS
TA
KON LA N
N G INA .8%
2.0 TV
HO CH -0
% IA
A 2.0 LIT
I % HU
MB 1.1 %
AN
ZA 1.6 PO IA
DA 0% % LA
A N 3. 1.3 ND
UG % % RO
A 1.3
I SI M
AN
N RU
1.4
%

TU IA IA
1.0

SS
%

N
1.8

ZA IA
%

N
6

N
%

SE
A

5.

TA FE
-2

%
IC

R
5%

D
1.2
FR

B
5.9

ER
SL
%
IA

IA
A

1.7

AT
ER

O
%

%
-4
TH

VA
IA

TU

I
IG

O
2.4

.5%
U

5%

-0.

N
IB

KI
N
SO

R
U
%

0.3
UE

A
M

KE
8%
-0.

KR
2.2%
3.6%
0.4
NA

IQ

UZ

Y
.6%

-1.7%
O

AI
0.0%
0.8%

-0.5% QA
CC

0.4%
MB

0.7%

2.6%

BA

BE
US

NE
T 0
RO
ZA

JO

KI
ITI

HR
NY

KUW
NA

ST
MO

MO

RD
UR

LEBA

AIN
KE

ANA

AN
OMAN
EGYP
GHA

ALGERIA

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

SAUDI ARABIA

AN
MA

AIT
TAR

NON
BOTSW

The Korn Ferry 2019 Global Salary Korn Ferry pay experts
Forecast reveals that, adjusted recommend taking a holistic
for inflation, real-wage salaries approach when determining pay.
globally are expected to grow only “While inflation indices are a solid benchmark for reviewing
an average of 1 percent in 2019. market trends in pay, we recommend that companies take
a broader perspective by defining and agreeing upon
Regionally, Asia is expected to see the highest real wage growth, their own measures of cost drivers, business strategy
with salaries forecast to increase by 2.6 percent, while in North and local trading conditions,” said Benjamin Frost, Korn
America, both the United States and Canada are predicted Ferry’s Global General Manager – Pay. “Compensation
to achieve a real-wage growth of 0.6 percent. Employees in programs need to be regularly reviewed to make sure they
Eastern Europe are predicted to see an average salary increase align with changing business and market conditions.”
of 2 percent after accounting for inflation, and in Western
Europe, salaries are forecast to increase by only 0.7 percent.

In the Middle-East, inflation-adjusted salary increases

About the Study
are predicted to be 0.4 percent, while Africa’s salary The data was drawn from Korn Ferry’s pay database
forecast is expected to go up by 0.9, after adjusting for which contains data for more than 20 million job holders
high inflation. In Latin America, employees are forecast to in 25,000 organizations across more than 110 countries.
receive an average real salary increase of 1.3 percent. The
Pacific sees the lowest prediction in real salary increases, It shows predicted salary increases, as forecasted by global HR
with an inflation-adjusted forecast of only 0.3 percent. departments, for 2019 and compares them to predictions made
at this time last year regarding 2018. It also compares them to
2019 inflation forecasts from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Visit the interactive website to get your

personalized salary forecast here.

Editor’s Note: Global and regional averages

exclude Argentina due to particularly high inflation.
© Korn Ferry 2019 All rights reserved. Figures correct at the time of data collection.