Robert Half: 57% of Managers Offering Above-Budget Salaries for Specialized Skills

HR Dive · United States · Oct 8, 2026

Robert Half's 2027 Salary Guide finds that 57% of U.S. hiring managers are offering higher-than-planned salaries to attract candidates with specialized skills, with AI expertise driving the largest increases — 72% of managers are raising pay for relevant AI skills. Average new-hire salaries are projected to rise 1.9% overall in 2027, while broader merit budgets are expected to land around 3.2–3.5% according to separate surveys from Marsh and WTW. Recruiters and staffing firms can use these benchmarks to counsel clients on competitive offer strategies and to set candidate salary expectations in AI-adjacent and tech roles.