Merit increases have been steadily inching down, from 4.2 percent in 1993 to a projected 4 percent next year, Buck Consultants said.

The pay survey, which covered the year through April 1, has been conducted annually by Buck Consultants since 1987.

He joins from Buck Consultants.

The bridegroom, 28, is a management consultant in the New York office of Buck Consultants, a human-resources consulting firm.

That's down from the nearly two-thirds of companies that had pay freezes in place in January 2010, according to research conducted by Buck Consultants.

Most workers have said their employers don't provide enough feedback, according to Buck Consultants.

And according to a recent survey of 147 nonprofit organizations by Buck Consultants, employees are pushing hard to get more investment options in their 403(b)'s.

The executives from Ernst & Young and Buck Consultants said the event was well organized.

To check compliance, Buck Consultants sent surveys to 2,800 employers around the nation in January.

Buck Consultants is a global HR benefits and human resource consulting firm.