Agreed. And I think it's useful to look at your compensation longer term rather than comparing it with inflation every single year. There are going to be big

Agreed. And I think it's useful to look at your compensation longer term rather than comparing it with inflation every single year. There are going to be big moments (promotions, switching companies, etc) where you get a large jump in compensation that far outpaces inflation. And there will likely be years where your employer didn't budget large enough raises all around to match inflation. It's fine if that bothers you enough to look elsewhere, but it's also worth zooming out and looking at the graph of your compensation compared to inflation - which will look like a bunch of steps compared to a relatively smooth line. There are certain teams I've been part of during my career that I've enjoyed working with far more than average. If, one of those years, I got a measly raise, I still would have stayed in place and enjoyed my work and not minded taking a smaller step. Then, eventually, when another catalyst for job change appeared (the project was ending, bad management moved in, etc), I would look for something that gives me a nice big compensation step to take (don't do this for too many years in a row though).