Bonus and promotion trend shows emphasis on skills; companies not under pressure to retain talent, say experts

The salary hike season varied this year, with some sectors seeing increases from 8-15%, an improvement from last year's 4-10%. However, the global economic lull led to conservative raises in other sectors. Dry promotions and skill-based hikes were notable trends, especially in IT and startups. Bonuses were muted except in banking, financial services, and new energy sectors.