Many employers are planning to reinstate merit increases in 2010, The Wall Street Journal reports. But some experts say base salaries are unlikely to return to pre-recession levels anytime soon. Of 555 large U.S. employers polled in October, 83% said they will give out raises next year, while only about half did so in 2009, reports Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Hewitt Associates Inc. None anticipate pay reductions next year, after 10% cut salaries in 2009.