Wage Growth Stabilizes Amid Shifting Labor Market

Media Contact: Heather Nezich, Manager, Communications, ASE, 248.223.8040, hnezich@aseonline.org

Troy, MI – June 9, 2025 – American Society of Employers (ASE), Michigan’s largest employer association supporting its members with Everything HR, has released the findings of the 2025 ASE Compensation Survey. This year's survey is described as the largest of its kind in Michigan, covering 575 positions with 437 Michigan companies responding. The data encompasses over 106,000 incumbents. The full results were presented at the 2025 Pay Trends Briefing.

The survey highlights a deceleration in wage growth compared to the previous year, occurring within a dynamic economic and labor market environment. Using a constant sample of participating organizations from both 2024 and 2025 surveys, actual wage movement among Michigan businesses showed an overall increase of 3.2% from 2024 to 2025. This represents a notable drop from the 4.3% growth seen in the 2024 survey.

Other Survey Highlights:

Key highlights from the analysis of the constant sample – companies that participated in both the 2024 and 2025 surveys – reveal the following job families with the highest reported wage growth:

• Engineering roles posted a 3.4% increase.
• Human Resources positions saw a similarly strong rise of 3.4%.
• Sales and Marketing professionals experienced robust growth, also at 3.4%.
• Accounting and Finance roles followed closely, with a 3.3% increase.
• Hourly Assemblers and Production workers saw a more modest increase of 3.0%, a notable decline from last year’s 5.5% gain.

“This year’s survey data clearly shows a recalibration in wage growth compared to the accelerated pace of recent years,” said Mary Corrado, President & CEO of the American Society of Employers. “While employers continue to focus on competitive compensation, the stabilization of the labor market, coupled with economic headwinds, means we are shifting from broad, reactive increases to more strategic allocation of compensation dollars. Employers are prioritizing performance and evaluating where their compensation investments will have the greatest impact, while also considering total rewards and pay equity.”

Survey Components

Comprehensive compensation data is available for 575 distinct job positions. The dataset includes detailed base pay information, highlighting key benchmarks across various percentiles:

• Base Pay
  • Interquartile Ranges:
    • 25th Percentile
    • Median (50th Percentile)
    • 75th Percentile
  • Additional Extremes:
    • 10th Percentile
    • 90th Percentile

In addition to base pay, the data includes the average variable pay for each position, providing a more complete view of total cash compensation.

This information serves as a critical resource for employers seeking to make informed, competitive, and equitable compensation decisions.

2025 Survey Participation Highlights

A total of 437 companies participated in the 2025 survey, marking a 6.3% increase over the previous year and enhancing the depth and reliability of the data. Participation from the Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Holland areas surged by 80%, with 92 organizations from that region participating.

Southeast Michigan continues to represent the largest share of responses, accounting for 60% of the overall sample. Reflecting the state’s business landscape, nearly 80% of participating organizations reported having between 1 and 500 employees, indicating a strong representation of small to mid-sized employers. Additionally, 70.5% of respondents reported annual revenues under $100 million.

The 2025 survey includes data on 575 job positions, including 16 newly added roles, ensuring continued relevance and alignment with evolving workforce needs.

The full report is available for participating ASE members in the ASE Survey Library and is available for purchase by completing this request form.

About ASE

ASE is employers trusted partner for Everything HR. ASE is a non-profit, membership organization – everything we do is based on the needs of members and to drive the success of their organizations and help them THRIVE.  ASE strengthens organization's HR departments by offering member benefits and discounted services that span the entire employee lifecycle including recruitment, development, and retention while minimizing compliance risk. We provide our members guidance through new legislation and workplace issues. ASE has offices throughout Michigan in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Novi, and Troy. Learn more about ASE at www.aseonline.org.