Matthew Daneman

Staff writer;

Don’t spend it all in one place.

The average Rochester-area worker’s paycheck will go up roughly 2.8 percent in 2014, according to the latest Annual Wage and Salary Survey of the Rochester Business Alliance.

The numbers come from RBA surveying of 198 member companies representing more than 70,000 local workers.

The average weekly wage in the Rochester region is roughly $850, according to U.S. Labor Department numbers. A raise of 2.8 percent would mean roughly an additional $24 a week, or $1,250 a year.

Three is seemingly the magic number when it comes to raises around the nation. Human resources benefits consultant Buck Consultants’ most recent Compensation Planning Survey found that average pay raises will be 3 percent again this year, making it the second year in a row. HR consulting firm Sibson Consulting found similar results in its most recent Annual Compensation Planning Analysis. According to Sibson, “With inflation and the economy showing slow growth, it appears merit budgets have settled into a ‘comfort zone’ of approximately 3 percent.”

In the Rochester Business Alliance’s 2013 survey, employers reported expectations of raises of roughly 3 percent. In 2012, the average was 3.1 percent.

Meanwhile, according to state Labor Department data for the Finger Lakes region, average wages overall rose 2.75 percent between the third quarter of 2012 and the third quarter of 2013 — the most recent date for which data is available. That followed what state Labor Department data said was a a 1 percent decline between the third quarters of 2011 and 2012.

Among unskilled workers, however, pay raises over the past year were not quite as generous — a little more than 2.3 percent, to a starting salary of $10.84 per hour, according to RBA data.

It could have been worse, Rochester Business Alliance President Sandy Parker said in a statement. “While only a modest bump this year, we certainly welcome the stability seen in starting pay, given the challenging business climate in New York,” she said.

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