AOC Aon Corp.

Nearly Half of High-Tech Companies Planning Significant Workforce Increases in '08 SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Current salaries for workers at high-technology companies represent the highest increase in four years for executive, exempt and non-exempt employees, according to Aon Consulting's Radford Surveys + Consulting, a leading provider of market compensation intelligence and consulting to the high-technology and life sciences industries. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041215/CGW049LOGO) Results from Radford's Q3 Quarterly Summary of Industry Trends (QSIT) report of 519 U.S.-based high-technology companies, revealed that salary increase budgets have climbed approximately 5 percent per year during the last three years, as competition grows for top-notch talent. "The strong global economy has allowed salary budgets to be funded aggressively," said John Radford, senior vice president, Radford Surveys + Consulting. "The increase of these budgets during the last three years is a clear indication of how companies that once had to downsize now are having to hire at a rapid pace in order to see significant profits." The 2007 Q3 QSIT findings also showed that approximately 60 percent of companies still emphasize stock options in their programs. This despite mandated stock option expensing and shareholder demand for more tightly managed equity dilution. While restricted stock is more common for ongoing grants, stock options continue to be the primary vehicle for new-hire grants. "We all heard the cry that stock options would be dead and that option plans would no longer be used among high-technology companies," said Linda E. Amuso, senior vice president, Radford Surveys + Consulting. "We are happy to see that technology companies have maintained the courage to keep their option plans, even as they have implemented restricted stock to improve the retention value of their plans. We expect that going forward there will be more emphasis on restricted stock as a retention vehicle for top performers, as well as more linkage between restricted stock grants and performance objectives for executives." In addition, 42 percent of high-technology companies participating in the Q3 QSIT said they will increase their workforce worldwide by up to 15 percent in the next 12 months, signaling a strong global economy. In the United States, the annual voluntary turnover rate for these companies has been on an upswing since 2003, rising nearly 50 percent between 2003 and 2006. This trend is expected to continue in 2007 with Radford Technology Survey participants reporting voluntary turnover at nearly 13 percent and overall turnover above 23 percent. The Q3 QSIT focuses on overall trends in hiring, turnover and base salary budgets worldwide, cash incentive plans, as well as equity compensation changes over the past 12 months. In addition to the technology edition of the QSIT, a life sciences report with data from 212 firms is also available to participants. About Radford Surveys + Consulting For more than 30 years, Radford has provided compensation market intelligence to the technology and life sciences industries. Global survey databases, which include nearly three million incumbents, offer current, reliable data to 2,000+ clients. Leveraging Radford survey data, our thought-leading global Radford Consulting team creates tailored solutions for the toughest global business and compensation challenges facing companies at all stages of development. In addition to our consulting team, we also offer equity valuation assistance via Radford Valuation Services, and leading-edge market analyses and survey services with Radford Advisory Services. For more information on Radford, please visit http://www.radford.com/. Previous 2007 Radford webcasts have included information on transferable stock option programs and global equity. The 50-minute sessions are typically led by senior members of the Radford consulting and surveys team, and offer printable presentations and downloadable audio. So far this year, Radford webcasts have garnered interest from nearly 2,000 registrants. For information about future Radford webcasts, interested parties can visit http://www.radford.com/home/press_room, or e-mail . About Aon Aon Corporation (NYSE:AOC) is the leading global provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. Through its 43,000 professionals worldwide, Aon readily delivers distinctive client value via innovative and effective risk management and workforce productivity solutions. Our industry-leading global resources, technical expertise and industry knowledge are delivered locally through more than 500 offices in more than 120 countries. Aon was ranked by A.M. Best as the number one global insurance brokerage in 2007 based on brokerage revenues, and voted best insurance intermediary, best reinsurance intermediary, and best employee benefits consulting firm in 2007 by the readers of Business Insurance. For more information on Aon, log onto http://www.aon.com/. Aon Consulting Worldwide (http://www.aon.com/hcc) is among the top global human capital consulting firms, with 2006 revenues of $1.282 billion and 6,500 professionals in 117 offices worldwide. Aon Consulting is shaping the workplace of the future through benefits, talent management and rewards strategies and solutions. Aon Consulting was named the best employee benefit consulting firm by the readers of Business Insurance magazine in 2006 and 2007. For more information, contact: Fabiola A. Price, 408.321.2653, Kelly St. Denis, 408.321.2584, http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041215/CGW049LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aon Corporation CONTACT: Fabiola A. Price, +1-408-321-2653, , or Kelly St. Denis, +1-408-321-2584, , both of Radford Web site: http://www.aon.com/ http://www.radford.com/

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