Employers may still be pinching pennies and scanning the horizon for the signs of the next recession. But employees are feeling good about the economy and — guess what? — they want more money.

This intelligence is found in the current quarterly report, Global Workforce Insights for Compensation. The report, a product of consulting firm CEB that tracks workplace trends quarterly, found that there has been an increase in employee expectations for bonuses and merit pay in the first quarter of 2014. It's a jump from low expectations employees had throughout 2012 and 2013.

The report also suggests another landscape change occurring among employees. Where health benefits had been a leading driver in seeking a new employer, that factor has slid in importance. In 2009, 21.2 respondents listed it as of major significance. The latest data slipped to 16 percent.