The latest research from IRS reveals that pay settlements remain at 3.5%, in the three months to the end of August 2008. However, headline inflation, one of the key influences on pay awards, fell this month. In turn, over the next few months employers are likely to pitch their pay settlements at a lower level than at present.

One group of employees who are not happy with their pay levels are occupational health professionals. Findings from the 2008 salary survey from IRS and Occupational Health magazine reveal that two-thirds of occupational health workers are unsatisfied or ambivalent about their current level of remuneration.

Elsewhere, we highlight the XpertHR guidance on handling maternity leave. We look at the latest guide to maternity pay, salary-sacrifice arrangements and childcare vouchers while an employee is on maternity leave.

Other top stories in this issue include:

• Migrant workers are caught in vulnerable employment;
• Rising company medical plan costs are "unsustainable"; and
• BAA workers accept DB pension closure and "world-class" DC pension scheme.

Sheila Attwood
Editor,
Pay and Benefits Bulletin

Pay reports recently added to the site:

TK Maxx: 4% paybill increase for store managers

Building brick industry: pay rises capped at 4%

Royal Shakespeare Company: 3.25% increase to minimum rates

Alliance & Leicester: two-stage award agreed

Pay review update: 26 September 2008

The latest pay review update table contains pay settlements for Express Newspapers, firefighters, Homebase, Scottish Power, Wessex Water and many more.

View article in full

Print article

Forward to a colleague

Statistics and forecasts

The datafile contains the most recent inflation, earnings and labour market statistics, pay settlement data and inflation and earnings forecasts. Our panel of City and academic forecasters is expecting headline inflation to peak at 4.8% in the third quarter of the year, but fall to 3.4% by the second quarter of 2009. Average earnings growth is expected to remain stable, averaging 3.9% in both 2008 and 2009.

View article in full

Print article

Forward to a colleague

Implementing a police officer pay review body (5 November 2008)

See details of the government's consultation on setting up a pay review body for the police force.

What is HR Space?

Join Personnel Today's HR forum.

From the blog

Launched and run by the editorial team that produces XpertHR and the IRS e-journals, the Employment Intelligence blog is regularly updated with news, comment and links to the latest employment developments. Recent posts include:

• Harman launches new equality panel
• Executive pay slows, but the elite race ahead
• Equal pay gap: only 187 years to go...

Today's tip: save your searches

You’ve found just the right search terms and sources to give you exactly what you want on XpertHR - but how do you remember to use the combination next time? Click on the “save this search” link at the top of your search results page, give the search a name, and in future you will find the search saved for you in My XpertHR.

Print all articles in this newsletter

This newsletter now has a "print all" button. Before pressing it, please be aware that this uses a lot of paper. For the sake of the planet and your toner cartridge, consider whether or not you need to use it. If you press "print all", this will send to your printer all articles linked from the newsletter. Print all articles.