Employees in the UK may be looking at a drop in salary increases this year as employers cut back on their hiring plans, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The findings come from a survey conducted last month, involving 2,006 employers and focusing on their approaches to pay, staffing levels, and job vacancies. After staying at 5% for some time, expected basic pay rises have dropped to 4%, marking the first fall since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Within the private sector, the average expected basic pay increase was down from 5…