Mercer – The global standard in grading and compensation
Mercer's IPE methodology is the world's most widely used job grading framework. Combined with compensation benchmarking across 78+ markets and deep pay equity expertise, Mercer defines the global standard for fair, structured compensation.
About Mercer
Mercer is a global consulting leader and a business of Marsh McLennan. With decades of experience in workforce, health and retirement consulting, Mercer helps organizations worldwide build better futures for their people. In the HR space, Mercer is best known for their International Position Evaluation (IPE) methodology — the most widely adopted job grading framework globally. Their Total Remuneration Surveys cover 78+ markets, providing the compensation benchmarking data that enterprises need for competitive and equitable pay structures. As the EU Pay Transparency Directive approaches, Mercer's grading expertise and market data are increasingly essential for compliance.
Core strengths
IPE – the global grading standard
Mercer's International Position Evaluation methodology evaluates jobs across five factors and 12 dimensions. Adopted by thousands of organizations worldwide, IPE provides the consistent, defensible grading framework that pay transparency requires.
Compensation benchmarking at scale
Mercer's Total Remuneration Surveys cover 78+ markets and millions of data points. Organizations get the market data needed to set competitive pay bands aligned with their grading structure.
Pay equity expertise
Mercer has been advising organizations on pay equity for decades. Their analytical frameworks identify pay gaps, model remediation scenarios and help organizations build sustainable equity practices.
Global reach and trust
As part of Marsh McLennan, Mercer operates in 130+ countries. Their scale means consistent methodology, comprehensive data and trusted advisory relationships — wherever your organization operates.
The future of compensation is transparent, equitable and data-driven. Organizations that build this foundation now will lead their industries in talent attraction and retention.
— Mercer workforce consulting perspective
Cobrainer + Mercer
Cobrainer and Mercer connect AI-powered job architecture with the world's most trusted grading methodology. Cobrainer generates complete Job & Skill Architectures — families, clusters, roles, levels and skill profiles — using its Skills Graph of 170,000+ skills. Mercer's IPE methodology then grades these roles, creating the levelling framework that pay bands are built upon. Mercer's market data provides the compensation benchmarks. The result: a complete pipeline from undefined roles to transparent, market-aligned, equitable pay structures — ready for the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mercer IPE?
International Position Evaluation (IPE) is Mercer's globally recognized job grading methodology. It evaluates roles across five factors — Impact, Communication, Innovation, Knowledge and Risk — producing consistent job grades that support fair compensation.
How does Mercer support EU Pay Transparency compliance?
Mercer provides the grading methodology (IPE), compensation benchmarking data and pay equity analytics that organizations need to build transparent, gender-neutral pay structures aligned with the EU Directive.
How do Cobrainer and Mercer work together?
Cobrainer generates the Job & Skill Architecture with AI. Mercer applies IPE grading to these roles and provides market compensation data. Together, they create a complete pipeline from role definition to equitable, transparent pay.
Is Mercer only for large enterprises?
Mercer serves organizations of all sizes. While their IPE methodology is particularly valuable for large, complex organizations, their compensation data and advisory services support companies at every scale — from mid-market to Fortune 500.
Build world-class compensation architecture
Discover how Mercer's global grading expertise and Cobrainer's AI-powered skills platform create transparent, equitable pay structures.