There’s new hope for employees who haven’t seen a raise since the collapse of the economy. According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, nearly a third of employers are willing to negotiate salary increases in 2011 over concerns that talented employees will look to leave their organizations once the economy improves.

Some industries faired better than others — with IT employers, retail, sales, professional and business services reporting that they were the most willing to negotiate raises.

New employees get even more wiggle room, the survey found, with more than half of employers saying they plan to leave negotiating room when extending initial offers to candidates.

Employers also cited the best ways to negotiate for a raise. Forty-eight percent recommended highlighting specific accomplishments and results, 39 percent said to have a salary range in mind and a justification for that raise, 37 percent said to show an understanding of what is important to the company and 26 percent said to come prepared with a history of performance reviews.

If you can’t get the raise you want, many employers said they were willing to negotiate perks instead, including more flexible work hours, bonuses, training, vacation, and even more casual dress codes.

The survey was conducted online among 2,457 U.S. hiring managers.

jwernau@tribune.com