What's behind Hewitt prediction of 8 per cent increment in 2009. An average salary increase of 8.2 per cent in 2009. If this sounds too good to be true in times of job losses—it probably is. Hewitt Associates, a human resources consulting company, which recently projected such a hike in its 13th annual Salary Increase Survey, has now sounded a cautious note. According to Sandeep Chaudhary, leader of Hewitt's performance and rewards consulting practice in India: "The projection of 8.2 per cent will get depressed by 1 to 2 per cent in the next 3-6 months." But even the rather optimistic figure of 8.2 per cent means that the slowdown-hit India Inc. will see a 5 per cent drop in hikes, on average, compared to last year. "This is due to the fact that organisations are in a wait-and- watch mode because of a lack of clarity about their business performance. There is a difference between what is budgeted for in terms of salary increase and the actual salary increase handed out to the employees," says Chaudhary.