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With Salaries Practically Stagnant in 2026, The Michael Page Survey Shows Companies Tightening Their Wallets, 45% Limited to Mandatory Increases and 55% Betting on Benefit Packages, Health, Food, Pension, and Hybrid Work to Try to Contain Professional Unrest and the Flight of Qualified Professionals in The Brazilian Labor Market.
The prospect of entering 2026 with practically stagnant salaries is already on the radar of most formal professionals in Brazil. According to the Salary Guide 2026, prepared by Michael Page, only 20% of companies plan to grant real increases next year, while 45% are only talking about passing on mandatory adjustments, repeating the squeeze seen in 2024 and 2025.
This movement reveals a clear point of tension. On one side, companies focused on preserving cash health in a scenario of uncertainties and intense search for efficiency. On the other, workers who see the cost of living rising, perceive practically stagnant salaries, and are increasingly willing to change jobs in search of better compensation, more robust benefits, and greater flexibility in daily life.
Salaries Practically Stagnant and a Sour Job Market
The survey data indicates that, in the past 12 months, 59% of professionals have not received any increases. Only 5% say they are very satisfied with what they earn today, a direct reflection of the impact of practically stagnant salaries on the mood in the corporate environment.
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The reflection also appears in the relationship with work. Only 16% of respondents claim to be very satisfied with their current jobs, while 38% say they are somewhat dissatisfied and 35% report some level of discontent.
In practice, this means more demotivated teams, leaders spending energy to contain resignation requests, and companies competing for the same pool of qualified professionals with incentives that go beyond the paycheck.
Executives interviewed in the study point out that granting real increases becomes a permanent commitment in fixed costs, which leads many organizations to adopt a wait-and-see posture. First, they await market movements.
Then, they assess whether they can keep up or if they need to compensate for the lack of increases with other types of attractions.
Benefits Rise and Become Retention Currency
Without budget space to break the logic of practically stagnant salaries, the immediate solution has been to strengthen the benefits package. The survey shows that 55% of respondents see these items as essential for attracting and retaining talent, especially in more qualified positions.
Among the benefits that weigh most heavily in the decision to accept or stay in a position are robust health plan, higher food allowance, private pension, annual bonus, and structured training programs.
In many cases, companies make fine adjustments to these items instead of directly increasing salaries, because benefits can have more flexible costs and lower tax impact, and they are simpler to adjust year to year.
For professionals, however, the message is clear. It is not enough to offer any benefits package. What matters is whether the set makes a real difference in their lives.
A health plan that covers reference hospitals in the area, a food voucher that tracks the average meal prices, and a bonus that actually reaches their pockets are seen as concrete signs of appreciation, even in a scenario of practically stagnant salaries.
Flexibility, Mental Health, and Customized Packages Are Still Infancy
The study shows that 42% of candidates consider it essential to have flexible benefits, that is, the possibility of building a tailored menu from a balance, choosing among health, food, education, well-being, or mobility.
In practice, however, 48% of companies still offer standardized packages, with no room for customization based on age, life stage, or family profile.
This distance generates silent frustration. A professional without children may value education assistance, courses, and mental health support more than subsidized preschool. Meanwhile, those with large families tend to prioritize comprehensive health plans and enhanced food allowances.
When everything is the same for everyone, a significant portion of the team feels that the package does not meet their real needs.
Even so, experts emphasize that benefits do not substitute for salary. They reduce the impact of practically stagnant salaries, improve the perception of care from the company, and can delay resignation for some time, but they hardly compensate, on their own, for years without real income growth.
Talent Shortage Pressures Companies to Go Beyond Salary
The Michael Page survey brings another important data point. Seventy-three percent of companies report difficulty hiring qualified professionals.
And the demand goes beyond technical mastery. Eighty-eight percent of companies report increasingly valuing behavioral skills, such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and adaptability.
In this context, retaining those already in the company becomes as strategic as hiring well. Practically stagnant salaries combined with more aggressive offers from competitors increase the risk of losing precisely the most sought-after professionals, those who can quickly move to other companies, sectors, or even countries.
Development programs could be a response to this equation, but the numbers reveal a bottleneck. Sixty percent of companies claim to offer some type of training, but only 28% of professionals say they use this benefit.
There is a lack of clear communication, time freed in schedules, and, in many cases, alignment between what is offered and what actually helps in medium-term careers.
Stable Workforces, Targeted Hires, and Timid Raises
When looking towards 2026, 49% of companies plan to keep their workforce stable, without major expansion or cuts.
Another 44% talk about hiring, but with moderate increases, typically up to 10%, concentrated in strategic positions or areas of more accelerated growth.
In analysts’ reading, this confirms the scenario of practically stagnant salaries for the majority of positions, with pockets of appreciation in technology, finance, health, energy, and other segments where talent competition remains intense.
For those outside these niches, the message is harsh. It will be necessary to negotiate well, reinforce training, and use the combination of benefits and flexibility as a relevant part of the total compensation equation.
In-Person, Hybrid, and the Weight of Routine in The Decision to Stay or Leave
The survey also maps how companies have organized work. Forty-two percent still operate in a fully in-person model, while 44% adopt the hybrid format, alternating days in the office and remote work. In many cases, this flexibility emerges as one of the most valued benefits by employees.
For professionals facing practically stagnant salaries, the ability to save on transportation, food, and commuting time weighs as much as a formal adjustment, especially in large cities.
On the other hand, companies fear losing organizational culture and collaboration by reducing physical presence too much.
Experts highlight that well-structured flexibility can become a low-cost competitive differentiator.
Adjustments in work hours, the possibility of remote work on some days of the week, transparent time banks, and clear policies for parents are examples of measures that enhance employees’ perceived value without permanently altering payroll.
In light of this scenario, career consultants recommend that professionals begin to view their compensation package more broadly. Instead of just seeing the net amount at the end of the month, it is important to add benefits, bonuses, learning opportunities, work-life balance, and real growth possibilities.
At the same time, companies that wish to retain good people in an environment of practically stagnant salaries need to be more transparent.
Explaining the compensation policy, showing criteria for promotions, making it clear what is fixed and what is variable, and listening attentively to the priorities of teams are fundamental steps to avoid unpleasant surprises.
In the end, those who are likely to stay with companies are the professionals who feel consistency between discourse and practice.
And those likely to leave are those who realize that, year after year, the sum of salary, benefits, environment, and growth prospects do not compensate for the effort, responsibility, and daily pressure.
And you, if your increase in 2026 comes more in benefits than in your paycheck, is that enough to convince you to stay where you are or would it make you look more kindly at other proposals?
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