From pay transparency mandates to economic anxiety, 2025 tested HR leaders’ ability to navigate compensation in a year marked by uncertainty. Tech giants shuffled their value, employees demanded faster access to earned wages and global forces from AI to tariffs complicated every pay decision. These stories captured the toughest compensation conversations and the strategies that helped HR leaders address them.
A look at compensation in 2025
Paycom, ADP top compensation rankings as Salesforce, Workday drop off: Which HR tech orgs offer the best compensation? 2025 rankings reveal Paycom and ADP leading, while Workday and Salesforce disappeared from the list.
The future of compensation is flexible, fair and fast: Employees across the spectrum, from hourly staff to executives, have financial obligations and money stress, said Jason Rahlan from Dayforce. “Employees aren’t asking for a handout. They want access to the money they already earned.”
Payroll’s big technology shift. From “printing checks” to strategic force: Formerly a back-office task, payroll is delivering greater value to organizations, driven by advances in tech and greater recognition of its importance.
Economic uncertainty forces employers to rethink compensation
5 strategies to help stay ahead of global compensation trends: Research on global compensation from Deel and Carta highlights the outsized influence of macro issues like AI and inflation.
Employee compensation in 2026. What’s driving more cautious investments?: A new survey found that 20% of U.S. employers expect economic uncertainty to have a “significant impact” on compensation decisions in 2026.
Global pressures and pay transparency
Employees are worried about how tariffs will affect their pay. Should they be?: A new Towers Watson survey found current economic conditions, such as proposed tariffs, are driving up employee stress about pay—even though many employers don’t share the concern.
How to build strong pay practices despite economic uncertainty: Reframing messages around salary increases and other planned actions today will help manage risk despite shrinking budgets for raises and other unknowns.
5 things HR leaders need to know about the EU Pay Transparency Directive: This expert shares insights from her time spent in Europe learning about the directive, which largely affects any organization with even a single employee in the EU.
Pay transparency. How companies can get it right this year: Instead of seeing pay transparency as a compliance box to check, treat it as an opportunity to evolve your business practices and culture, this expert writes.
