In this comic strip, the man says "Boss, I could really use a bump in my salary."

It seems like that he is asking for a raise in his salary.
What does "use a bump" mean here?

Answer

There are 2 pieces here…

… could (really) use a …

This phrase means "I would like a …", "I need a …", or "I would be happy to get a …"

a bump in …

A "bump" can mean 1 of 2 things: (1) a temporary increase (an extra $100 this month, back to normal next month), or (2) a small permanent increase (a raise in salary). In this case, he probably means (2) a raise.

The whole meaning

Put them together and he means…

I would like a (small) raise in my salary.

Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Roo , Answer Author : ChocolateOverflow