Globally, average salaries should increase 4.7 percent thisyear, down from a 6.2 percent rise in 2008,the survey shows

"The economic upheaval since last September has prompted many firms to revise salary increases significantly from previous predictions", said Lee Quane, ECA's Asia director. Our results show that, globally, companies have revised their forecasts down,on average, by more than a third.

Companies in Venezuela, in contrast, are set to hand out the biggest pay rises this year, averaging 24% and up from 22% last year, followed by Argentina where pay is set to increase by 12%. Pay hikes in Brazil and Chile meanwhile will be higher than last year.

While pay in India is rising because of a talent shortage, by an expected 10.8%, pay rises in Latin America,Vietnam and Indonesia are being spurred partly by rising inflation.

Salaries in Vietnam and Indonesia are set to rise by 10.6% and 9% respectively.

In the United States, pay is expected to rise by just 2.8%, down from forecasts for a 4% rise in a similar survey taken by ECA in September, and 40% of firms will freeze pay.

Salaries across the Asia-Pacific are likely to rise 4.8%, compared with a 6.9% rise last year, but a third of companies in the region will freeze salaries, the survey shows.

Salaries in mainland China will hold up because of a talent shortage where as, pay in Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and China's special autonomous region of Hong Kong, which are all in recession, will be marginal if at all, although the slowdown will be partly offset by receding inflation in Asia.

Salaries in Singapore and Hong Kong will increase by 2%, the same as in Western Europe, while in Eastern Europe, they will increase by just under 5%. However, 29% of European companies plan to freeze salaries this year.

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