The Great Resignation still hasn't abated, with record vacancies and over 40% of employees saying they're thinking of making a change. For employers, this means that it's more important than ever to get the employee experience right.

Most companies prefer not to tinker with their compensation strategy — unless they absolutely must. Salary structures are difficult to get right, which is why it's tempting to adopt an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach. But your compensation strategy doesn't exist in a vacuum. External factors are constantly impacting employee expectations, whether you like it or not.

Last updated: May 2026 Reliable salary data is compensation information that comes from a transparent, methodologically sound source and segments pay by job, industry, company size, and location, rather than self-reported figures that can skew the numbers. The most trustworthy sources are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for free national and regional wage data, and established compensation surveys from firms such as Culpepper, WTW, and Radford for deeper, peer-matched detail.

Hiring in the IT field is more difficult than ever right now. In the private sector, around 59% of employers say that their businesses are suffering because they don't have access to the digital skills they require.

Growing your team is one of the hardest things about running a small business. If you're new to recruitment, you might find that even getting candidates to apply is surprisingly difficult—especially if you need people with specialist skills.

If you’re struggling to recruit, you’re not alone. Hiring has gotten harder in recent years, and two-thirds of hiring managers say that they struggle to track down suitable candidates.