For those of you still employed and secure in your jobs, congratulations! You may be getting a raise next year. A survey by two compensation consulting firms revealed that businesses intend to increase employee pay by an average of 3.5 percent in 2009. But with good news comes bad news these days, of course, and the flip side is that these same employers are still intent on cutting jobs -- 26 percent of them plan layoffs next year.

If you're feeling secure, there's even more good news: Your raise will go farther. That's because economists believe the rate of inflation for 2009 will be just 1.5 percent. Still, you're not completely off the hook. A quarter of surveyed companies plan to raise contributions for health care. Overall, Big Business will be reducing benefits, and many don't intend to give bonuses.

Even if you're not on the receiving end of those raises, take some comfort. With this move, businesses are signaling their long-term confidence in the economy, believing that, hey, maybe the country won't fall into depression and Obama might actually do a good job. They're doing their part to get people shopping again and encourage lenders to reopen their coffers. Of course, that's faint consolation now if you've been axed or nearing the chopping block. But at least The Man is showing some mercy by not cutting back on everything.

Employers everywhere are tightening their belts in response to the current financial crisis. A good deal of employers are already past cutting travel and other expenses and are looking at payroll to keep costs in check. This complicates matters for any employee who is up for a raise right now, myself included. Thankfully CNN has a list of six benefits to barter for if a pay hike is out of the question.

The benefits compiled in partnership with Careerbuilder.com include the following:

• Time off
• Relaxed dress code
• Education opportunities
• Going green bonuses
• Flexible schedules
• Wellness benefits

I found this list to be quite useful since the timing on my negotiation for a raise is what can be referred to as unfortunate to say the least, and I may have to settle for perks rather than cash. While I am a big fan of using perks such as the ability to work from home, flexible schedules and a relaxed dress code to retain employees during good economic times they are a poor substitute for cash when expenses are rising. Have you tried paying your mortgage in casual Fridays? The banks aren't that desperate....yet.

Sadly with the bailout having little positive effect on the stock market it looks like employees looking for compensation will have to make do with perks rather than payment for the time being. Then again if you work for AIG, a recipient of government funding, the perks may be worth it!

Time and time again we focus on our salaries when thinking of how much we are valued by our employers, but the thought that money alone is the only incentive companies can use to keep employees is ridiculous. While everyone enjoys a good old-fashioned raise, many times employers can use other means to reward employees and improve job satisfaction. In tight times when even Uncle Sam is counting on an absence of raises, these methods are especially prudent. My Two Dollars provides employees and employers with some excellent ways to compensate employees without opening the checkbook too wide.

If there is anything I have learned in my 25 years on this planet, it is that everyone has different motivators, and the quicker you figure out what the appropriate carrot at the end of the stick is, the better your business or your career will go!

Providing employees with the opportunity to use flextime to better mesh their personal life with work is a great way to increase overall employee job satisfaction.

Other suggestions, such as sincerely thanking employees and paying for health insurance for the entire family, can be excellent ways of compensating good employees. Working in a non profit has made me well aware of how these non-dollar-focused benefits can make a difference in job satisfaction. I thoroughly enjoy the good amount of vacation and the tuition reimbursement that I have received over the past few years.

A poor job market isn't always just a rain on the parade of American workers; sometimes it comes with a silver lining. This time Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is banking on the poor job market being the silver lining that keeps inflation away. In the past raises contributed to inflation as employers raised wages and then prices and then started all over again. This time around the Federal Reserve feels like employees won't push for the raises they want due to the poor economy and job market.

It will be interesting to see if the recent 12% increase in minimum wage plays into the inflation as well as the fact that by nature the majority of people think they are underpaid. While I can easily see the employers getting behind this logic the general public won't be as quick to jump on the boat. Even though the Fed's current plan isn't the most appealing to you and me, their hands are tied because the market won't likely bear the increased interest rates which would normally be used to fight inflation.

It's interesting that the rates need to stay low due to bad decisions made in the lending industry over the past few years and now, we can't take the standard actions to fight inflation because it could hurt these same industries. Bernanke is depending on the average American to forgo a raise this year to essentially boost up the economy while enduring the hardest part of the current economic state. Despite Ben's hope and the fact that it could contribute to inflation I plan to seek a raise later this year due to additional responsibilities and my performance. Even in this tight job market I think the increased costs that consumers are facing at the pump, the grocery store and for shelter will push many of them to ask for a raise too.

Today the federal minimum wage increased 70 cents to $6.55, as the second phase of a series of moves meant to bring the minimum wage up over a three year period. The "raise" will affect roughly 1.7 million workers or 2.3% of hourly workers, which means that collectively the cost of employing all minimum wage workers for one hour jumped $1.19 million today.

Despite the increase, the new rate is still below the inflation-adjusted 1997 level of $7.02, and far below the inflation-adjusted level of $10.06 from 40 years ago, according to a Labor Department inflation calculator. And it obviously still leaves many families well under the poverty line.

You'd think that getting a 12% raise during poor economic times would be a great help for 850,000 people over 25 who are making minimum wage. Unfortunately the increase is often quickly passed to the items these same workers need to buy; including food and gasoline. Smaller Businesses will also feel the pinch as they struggle to cope with higher wages and customers who are sick of seeing prices go up time and time again.