TikTok’s employment expert reveals how his company is tricking him into thinking he’s getting a pay raise

A career strategist has revealed how his company is tricking him into thinking he’s getting a raise.

Kyyah Abdul, the founder of the consulting firm wild runHe shares job advice with his more than 160,000 TikTok followers and recently went viral when he criticized corporations for positioning a two to four percent pay raise as a pay raise.

‘[It’s] not a raise. That’s what we call a cost-of-living adjustment,’ he began in his Tik Tok Videowhich had amassed over 1.7 million views at the time of this writing.

The next step on top of that is usually a merit raise where you get paid for your performance last year, continues Kyyah, of Los Angeles.

“And that usually ranges from five to nine percent,” he said.

‘But a real raise or promotion is going to be between 10 and 20 percent.

“And that’s why people are always job hopping because companies think these little two to four percent pay raises mean something.

“With the cost of inflation, I’m sorry, two or three percent is not going to be enough if you want to keep talent.”

Kyyah explains more in a video on her YouTube channel titled: A 1-4% salary increase is NOT a RAISE, it’s a DEMOTION.

‘When a company gives you a three percent raise and says, “Congratulations.” Congratulate me for what? she asked.

‘Inflation is nine percent, which actually means I’m taking a six percent cut in my base salary.

“Also given the context that a lot of companies are reporting record profits, so the whole notion that companies just can’t give people a nine percent raise to match inflation, I just don’t buy it.”

The US Department of Labor reported that inflation last month was 6.4 percent.

January marked the seventh straight month of declining annual inflation since this summer’s peak of more than 9 percent.

The 6.4 percent figure for January is the lowest inflation rate since October 2021, but it also represented a smaller-than-expected drop from December’s figure, leading some economists to fear that the fight against rising prices could stagnate.

In her YouTube video, the labor expert also clarified that she didn’t think her criticisms applied to small businesses.

“I don’t think small businesses should feel like they have to give everyone a 10 to 20 percent raise, especially if they’re barely making ends meet,” he said.

“Large corporations can probably afford it, but that being said, not everyone deserves [that] pay increase.

“Some people who have chosen to quit quietly when they are doing less than what is expected of them or are simply going through, at the very least, not exceeding expectations… should not expect to receive [that] go up, that makes sense.

“A merit raise, yes, and a cost-of-living adjustment, I think everyone should get that.”

Kyyah, who has written a book of career advice called The Prepared GraduateHe added that companies offering that “10, 20, 30 percent raise” would see less employee turnover.

And it seems his message resonated with corporate employees.

‘MY GOD! I was here praising the 4%,” said one person.

“I got a 1% raise that was like $40/mo… rent went up $250,” added another.

“It seems that companies prefer to pay new employees more instead of promoting or taking care of their employees,” wrote a third person.

‘I got 1% in Exceeds Expectations this month. I’m looking elsewhere tonight,’ someone else said.

Others shared the very modest pay raises they were getting, with one person saying, “I just got a 34-cent raise.”

‘Yes, I got a “raise” last year… 1.25 more per hour. That just came out in taxes. I need a new job’, read another comment.

The average American worker experienced record wage increases in 2022, regardless of whether they kept their current job or changed companies and jobs.

Data released in January shows that those who stayed in their jobs saw a 5.5 percent pay increase in November 2022 compared to November 2021.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta also said employees who switched companies saw gains of 7.7 percent compared to a year earlier.

While the growth means more money in the pockets of American workers, the increases are also raising inflation, experts say.

The wage increase for those who stayed in their jobs was over 3.2 percent in January 2022, an overall increase of 1.8 percent.

Those who changed jobs saw an increase of 3.4 percent from November 2021 to November 2022.

Experts say the prospect of earning more at a different company is what’s driving companies to raise the wages of their current employees.