Salary raises are not driven so much by one person asking for a raise — but by market conditions, says Dennis Hopple, president of CBSD/Thunderbird, adding that companies that don’t offer competitive packages, will loose valuable employees.

Although black salaries and the still-evolving economy can sometimes render salary surveys inaccurate; most top companies in Russia buy them in order to do their compensation and benefits planning on the basis of labor market conditions — and thus retain key employees.

An understanding of labor market prices is not only useful for employers, but also for those looking for a new job or seeking a raise. Unfortunately though, up-to-date and sector-specific surveys are usually too expensive for the later, and most HR professionals agree that salary surveys published in the press are generally misleading and over-simplified.

Aleksander Rosanov, general manager of Meteor personnel, says that a survey giving maximum and minimum salaries for secretaries as $200 to $2000, is meaningless — employees usually identify themselves with the top price — not taking into count variables such as their responsibilities, industry and company’s turnover.

Recruitment and executive search agencies can usually give an individual candidate the best idea of their market price. Armed with the inside knowledge, should an employee prefer to stay put, the most effective way to negotiate a raise is not by aggressively placing a copy of a salary survey on the boss’ desk, but by making oneself indispensable.