The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

As we head into the holiday season — for many, a season of over-spending and under-budgeting — it seems as good a time as any to ask: Did you get a raise this year? Was it enough?

U.S. employers planned to award average pay increases of 3.8 percent in 2007, just slightly more than they granted in 2006 (3.7 percent), according to the 2007/2008 U.S. Compensation Planning Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Pay increases are projected to remain at 3.8 percent in 2008 as well.

The survey included responses from more than 1,000 employers across the United States and reflects pay practices for more than 12 million workers.

Salary increases for 2007 were budgeted higher for executive positions (4.1 percent), and slightly lower for those in office/clerical/technician positions (3.7 percent) and trades/production/service positions (3.6 percent). Salary increases were budgeted at 3.8 percent for those in management and professional (sales and non-sales) positions.

According to the Mercer survey, the highest-performing employees (12 percent of the workforce) were expected to receive base pay increases of 5.7 percent in 2007, compared to 3.5 percent for average performers (52 percent of the workforce) and 1.7 percent for the weakest performers (3 percent of the workforce).

So, how did your raise measure up?