Nearly all companies plan salary increases for US employees next year, but the rate of increase will remain unchanged, according to new research released by the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry International Inc. (NYSE: KFY). While 97% of surveyed companies reported planning salary increases in 2018, US employees can expect to see a 3% median base salary increase for the seventh consecutive year.

There is also consistency across most industries and employee groups, with companies indicating a 3% median increase across the board.

“I’m not surprised we are once again seeing a 3% base salary increase this year,” said Maryam Morse, North American rewards and benefits leader, Korn Ferry Hay Group. “It reflects our new pay reality that substantial pay growth isn’t a given.”

There is some variation of practices across organizations in the survey. Organizations at the 90th percentile indicated a 3.3% to 3.5% increase across employee groups, while the 10th percentile is showing a consistent 2.5% increase across all groups. Additionally, top performers often receive two times the median salary increase of other employees.

“Companies are continuing to evolve how they reward employees,” Morse said. “They are relying more on short- and long-term incentive plans and financial recognition programs versus simply providing larger annual increases across the board. The key is for organizations to ensure they are optimizing their reward investment to drive performance and retain their best employees.”

Data for the forecast was drawn from Hay Group’s US PayNet database, provided by participants representing 450 US organizations from March through June 2017.