IN an ongoing effort to provide companies with current and reliable information, Mercer — the global HR consulting firm — has announced the launch of its ‘Total Remuneration Survey 2013'. The annually conducted TRS, which is run in more than 100 countries globally and covers over 450 benchmark positions, has become a reference point for companies around the world. The survey addresses cash compensation, allowances, short- and long-term incentives and benefits, providing an unbiased guide that can be utilised for effective business decisions by management and human resources departments within organizations. For several years, Mercer has run its TRS in the GCC, gauging and setting industry standards for current compensation packages, increases in salaries and benefits. New to the table this year, Mercer is launching five new TRS in the Middle East and North Africa, covering Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Libya. Moreover, and due to market demand, Mercer is also launching industry specific modules in three markets: an Energy module in Iraq and Libya, and a Retail module in the UAE. “At a time when competition for talent is reaching unprecedented levels and talent mobility is at its highest, employers are placing even more emphasis on offering competitive compensation packages that effectively attract, retain and motivate employees,” commented Nuno Gomes, Mercer's Information Solutions Leader for the Middle East. “It is interesting to continue to monitor the trend in real pay increase. Since 2009 employees have been experiencing an increase in purchase power as salaries have outgrown inflation, contrary to the trend in the mid 2000's primarily due to increasingly high accommodation costs,” added Nuno Gomes. According to Mercer's 2012 TRS, planned salary increase for 2013 was between 5% and 6% across the GCC countries, with inflation forecasted at 1.5% for the UAE (lowest) and 4.4% for KSA (highest). In a recent salary movement snapshot survey conducted by Mercer in December 2012, salary increase intentions have slowed down but still remain higher than forecasted inflation, ranging from 4.5% in Bahrain to 5.6% in KSA. Data gathering is under way and will proceed for two months, with results expected to be made available starting from September. Survey results are made available through Mercer's web-based technology platform WINR, a simplified, single point access system for data and analytics. “As we embark on another ‘Total Remuneration Survey' cycle we see massive interest from leading regional employers who strive to become market leaders through their HR policies and practices, and want to be competitive in the employment market,” concluded Nuno Gomes. — SG
