Insights from international recruitment specialist Robert Walters‘ 2025 salary survey offer a look at professionals’ expectations regarding salary increases in the coming year. Christophe Paquay, Senior Manager at Robert Walters, shares key findings from the survey.

Pay rise? Only if you asked for it!

The Robert Walters salary survey shows that barely 35% of Belgian employees spontaneously received a pay rise from their employer in the past year. 8% had to take their own initiative, while 14% first needed to change employers to do so. Almost a third (29%) did not request a pay rise and therefore received nothing, while 14% saw their request rejected.

"Over the past year, we noticed that many employers were acting reactively rather than proactively," says Christophe. "However, if companies want to retain their best talent, they need to pay more attention to rewarding and valuing employees without them having to ask for it themselves."

Barely half are satisfied with current salary

The same survey shows that only 9% of employees in Belgium are ‘very satisfied’ with their current salary including fringe benefits. 43% call themselves satisfied but see areas for improvement. Almost a quarter (24%) remain neutral, while 21% say they are dissatisfied because, in their opinion, their pay package does not meet their expectations or market standards.

A competitive salary package is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must.

"Employers need to understand that dissatisfaction with salary can quickly lead to a loss of talent. Indeed, as many as 41% of surveyed professionals are considering changing jobs if they don't get a pay rise in the next 12 months," Christophe stresses.

Expectations for 2025 

Robert Walters also examined what the expectations are in terms of salary evolution. And these turn out to be high: 72% of surveyed professionals are optimistic and expect to receive a salary increase in 2025.

Almost half (45%) are hoping for a conservative increase of 1-5%, while 23% are aiming for an increase of 6-10%. 7% are aiming for larger rises of 11% or more. However, one in five are less confident and consider it unlikely that they will see their pay rise in the coming year.

"Salary growth remains crucial, but it is not the only determinant of job satisfaction," says Christophe. "Professionals value the total package: a competitive salary and opportunities to work from home, combined with alignment with the organisation's values, appropriate job content, growth prospects, accessibility and effective management."

How will employers respond?

Almost half of employers (45%) think their employees are satisfied with their current salary package, while 30% are convinced of the opposite. Despite these perceptions, 66% of employers plan to implement salary increases by 2025. To keep employees happy, employers also introduced extra benefits last year, such as representation allowances, mobility budgets, meal vouchers, bonuses and company cars or (e-)bikes.

"It is positive to see employers investing in extra benefits, but it should not be a substitute for a competitive salary," Christophe warns. "A good overall package combines a competitive salary with benefits that respond to employees' needs."

These figures highlight the importance of taking a strategic approach to salary packages and benefits to attract and retain talent in a competitive job market. To benchmark salaries, use Robert Walters' free digital salary survey tool.