I think the companies are indicating a willingness to give strong wage increases. If they can cut five percent of the work force through attrition, they can give 4 percent wage gains annually and come out ahead.

This is probably due to companies paying out lower bonuses and lower than estimated wage increases.

The fact that GM opted to cut production a lot rather than raise incentives again suggest the jig is up. The kinds of levels we're seeing will be there, but I don't know we'll get incrementally higher.

Eighty percent of participants pay all their staff above the minimum wage, and many of them are concerned about the flow-on effects of the 25 per cent increase to the minimum wage being promoted by NZ First and the Greens,

Given the fact that Maine has raised its minimum wage each year for the last five years, that our minimum wage is currently $1.35 above the federal minimum wage and that Maine experienced a net loss of 600 jobs in 2005, one would wonder how it could possibly be true that raising the minimum wage again is going to improve our economy.

The survey was much weaker than expected indicating the bank's rate cut has done little to assuage the malaise that continues to afflict the U.K. consumer.