Wages to Rise — More for Some than Others

Wages will pick up more quickly come 2015, accelerating until annual gains hit 4% by January 2017.

For many employers, that will be a bitter pill to swallow, especially if productivity growth doesn’t keep pace. Small businesses, especially, are already feeling the pinch of higher wages. The number of small businesses that have raised compensation recently or are planning to soon is approaching a normal level for an expansion, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business.