Apple's (AAPL.US) retail employees will receive smaller pay raises this year, according to people familiar with the matter, marking a slowdown in the company's massive pay increases during the epidemic. The average annual pay increase disclosed by the company this week was about 4%, returning to pre-2020 levels with a range of 2% to 5%.

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Apple Online Store (China)

The salary increase also applies to AppleCare technical support employees, which also shows that the benefits brought by the epidemic have slowed down. At the same time, at the time of the salary increase, employee assessment has just begun and will last until early October.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the pay increase.

Last year, Apple was more aggressive in raising wages, by around 8% to 10%, and raising its minimum wage from $20 to $22 an hour, amid labor shortages and the impact of unions. At the time, Apple was also facing labor shortages and budding union efforts. Last year, the company also gave a rare early salary increase.

Since then, the pressure has eased. Nowadays, the United StatesInflation and wage growth have cooled, and the labor organizing movement has not made much progress in 2023. It is reported that of the approximately 270 Apple companies in the United States, only two companies in Maryland and Oklahoma voted to form a union.

In the United States, most Apple sales staff earn an hourly salary of US$22 to US$30, while AppleCare's hourly salary is slightly higher. Apple also issues restricted stocks to these two types of employees every year. In most cases, these packages top out around $2,000 this year. Apple also paid bonuses to some employees.