Chances are your boss didn’t fatten your corporate holiday card with a bonus check this year.
While official figures aren’t in — and there’s always a chance that ol’ Ebenezer will come through on Boxing Day — experts says workers in most industries won’t be getting bigger bonuses than they did last year.
“In general, bonuses across the board are going to be flat,” say Paul Feeney, managing director of the New Jersey-based executive search firm Sanford Rose Associates.
Still, experts say some industries will likely show a bit more generosity this holiday season. Here are the lucky few:
* Energy: Bonuses should be up due to increased revenues, according to John Challenger, CEO of Challenger Grey & Christmas, an executive outplacement firm.
* Health care: It should be a good year for bonuses, says Challenger. “These companies have had more successful years and that gets reflected in higher bonus pools..”
* Computers and software: In areas where companies “are doing more with less human capital” — desktop operators, development, applications — bonuses should be up, says Rich Deosing, regional manager of Robert Half International, a staffing firm.
* Construction: Optimism is tempered here. “It may [see increased bonuses], but I don’t think it’s going to be substantial… There are signs of hope, but it’s certainly not a part of the economy going gangbusters,” says Challenger.
* Environmental consulting and engineering: These industries should eventually see bigger bonuses, due to Superstorm Sandy revitalization efforts, but they likely won’t come until the new year, says Feeney.
* Law: According to Feeney, firms that handle bankruptcy and corporate restructuring work should do well, but other legals eagles won’t be so lucky.
* Accounting: Bonuses should be included on the ledger. “The accounting firms tend to be pretty consistent on their bonuses through good times and bad times,” says Feeney.
— BM