how to use randstad's 2026 salary guide.

The world economy is growing erratic with a fluctuating market landscape. Digital and AI-related competencies are now the modern standards of a thriving workplace. The might of a well-rounded employee compensation is undeniable. Randstad’s 2026 salary guide can do much more than just helping you through your compensation structuring journey. But, how?

Organizations worldwide are inviting fresh perspectives of looking at compensation plans. The new-age salary structure must correspond to the needs of job seeks and business value streams, alike; to a point where compensation guides your growth vision.

That being the case, you must design a compensation structure suiting not just the evolution over a 3 to 5 year period, but for the foreseeable future. Randstad’s 2026 salary guide provides access to transformative market patterns, that aid change, growth and opportunity.

Our 2026 salary guide brings to you, some noteworthy trends:

• AI’s quick inroad into your workforce strategy.
• A highly-mutable modern workplace.
• Heightened employee care obligations.
• Surging inflation.
• A cohort of aging employees.
• Variable cross-generational talent priorities.

what the 2026 salary guide delivers to you.

The policy framework in the U.S. is witnessing an unparalleled evolution, leaving no industry or talent cohort untouched. What bigger picture does this offer the U.S. job seekers? A permanently altered hiring economy, a heightened focus on deep sector expertise and an escalated urgency for subject matter experts in your talent pools.

1. our 2026 salary guide’s emphasis on upskilling.

Our 2026 salary guide reveals the immediate need establish a foolproof upskilling system in your organization. Furthermore, the report highlights that 49% of U.S. talent can be unwilling to accept a job offer, if the brand can’t promise them a robust in-house learning infrastructure.

In addition, this expanding skill deficit implies a window to hire sought-after talent, seeking personal and professional growth. However, this shift signals the need to update your compensation framework to attract this rare class of talent. How?

By tying your benefits plan with salary structure and advocating the need for employee autonomy in all your workplace communication pipelines. Furthermore, drawing in and keep the best and brightest people assets visibly slashes your hiring costs, eliminating the need to re-hire frequently.

2. the hit of hybrid work is deeper than you think.

Although several organizations are upholding back-to-office policies, talent is inclined to hybrid and remote work options. This resounding propensity to autonomy underpins the urgency of recalibrating your flexibility policy.

For instance, AI and automation are living large parts of operational roles such as skilled trades or manufacturing. That means, these sectors now have new reasons to adopt hybrid workplace models with flexible workforce schedules.

Furthermore, the fresh wave of talent values autonomy and workplace flexibility more then their previous generations. So much so that, they’re ready to let go of jobs that don’t align with this need.

develop a preliminary salary budget plan

Our 2026 salary guide offers a comprehensive overview of salary ranges by job title and time of year, corresponding to the 25th and 75th percentiles for entry-level, mid-level and senior positions. This benchmark data helps you curate standard pay scales, in alignment with the current and future hiring needs.

Moreover, the 2026 edition goes the extra mile in deducing compensation trends shaped by today’s dynamic talent landscape, changing regulations and thriving business economy. By summarizing extensive salary information for numerous roles across sectors, the guide facilitates practical estimate of projected costs for new hires, including salary and recruitment expenses.

Additionally, it can be a valuable tool for planning future salary strategies for your existing team members. improving retention. Using your preliminary salary budget model, you can develop a business case to justify additional expenses and draw correlation between recruitment costs and the onboarding of new employees.

assess your salary framework often to accelerate retention.

Your current workforce is the cultural backbone of your organization, formulating your workplace approach. When you invest in nurturing an indelible workplace network, your talent retention soars, workplace culture gains solid ground and HR teams are re-equipped with capabilities to attract and nurture talent for the future.

To bring this about, recognizing and addressing individual employee needs is pivotal. Moreover, regular salary evaluations help you identify areas of improvement and make stopgap amends to your compensation and benefits framework.

While the process may seem daunting, it is essential to gather feedback and enrich communication across departments to curate an adaptable compensation plan.

conduct a skills analysis

Skills-based hiring is set to revamp your hiring model. To build a thriving and diverse workforce, it’s vital to assess the core skills of your teams and identify training opportunities for your most dependable employees. As employees acquire new skills, their ability to meet industry standards and keep pace with shifting expectations becomes eminent.

Skills-based hiring is set to dominate your hiring process. To hire and promote a thriving and diverse workforce, it’s pivotal to analyze the key skills of your teams and identify training opportunities for your most dependable employees. Additionally, as employees learn the roles in new areas of work, their faculty to match industry standards and stay abreast of the changing skills expectations will be on the mark.

Furthermore, a skills analysis can help you create a more innovative and distinctive workplace. At this stage, comparing your employees' salaries to those with similar skills for a 40-hour workweek will highlight how well you maintain pay equity across departments.

Studies show that companies with transparent pay practices enjoy greater innovation through diversity and enhanced profitability. Therefore, initiating an open dialogue about employee salary expectations can enable you to design compensation frameworks that give company to your employee goals.

direct salary negotiation conversations intelligently.

Your recruitment strategy should integrate a well-defined approach to salary negotiation. Back your salary offers with detailed global salary and employee data to stay competitive. Tracking global salary trends enables comprehension of what employees value, driving necessary adjustments to employee offers and overall compensation framework.

Foster transparent conversations about compensation and benefits, and consider offering more than expected to attract exceptional talent. Leverage our 2026 salary guide for national and city-level salary averages to enhance your negotiations with future hires.

include salaries in job descriptions.

Many employers skip salary details in job postings, fearing it could weaken their negotiating power or attract candidates only interested in pay. However, job ads that feature a salary range or hourly pay often attract a higher quality of applicants.

Why? You end up targeting candidates with a genuine interest in the opportunity. There by, you design a job description that minimizes irrelevant applications, maximizing the chances of finding the ideal candidate.

Moreover, providing salary details early on helps facilitate further negotiations based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Seasoned talent is aware of their market value and prefers roles with transparent and fair pay.

implement a consistent salary structure

Designing a consistent compensation framework offers significant perks. The most prominent one being the ability to accurately assess the cost to the company based on employee competencies.

Our 2026 salary guide is a vital tool for enhancing your compensation and benefits strategy. Gain deep insight into employee demographics, location and skills per role. This data empowers you to develop a well-balanced salary strategy that ensures equitable pay for employees across all departments.

Needless to say, designing a compensation and benefits framework that resonates with diverse employee expectations has never been easy. That’s where expert assistance becomes invaluable. Connect with our talent consultants to gain a deeper understanding of the talent landscape and build a talent strategy that supports your growth goals and addresses a wide range of employee needs.