I'm not surprised. Regardless of how strong the economy actually is, many people feel it is doing poorly; they expect job losses and pay cuts and will thus be

I'm not surprised. Regardless of how strong the economy actually is, many people feel it is doing poorly; they expect job losses and pay cuts and will thus be more tolerant of smaller raises. Companies will naturally take advantage of this expectation to save money on payroll and reallocate it to more vital areas. This paragraph was particularly telling: Meanwhile, workers in the construction, engineering and pharmaceutical industries are projected to see above-average salary increases -- as high as 4.5% in construction and engineering. In addition, research and development professionals can also expect to see increases of about 4.0%.