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But as the whole nation feels the squeeze, many businesses simply can’t afford rising staffing costs. So how do they compete and attract new candidates while retaining old ones in a candidate shortage – without increasing salaries?

Generally, an employee won’t want to leave their job if they enjoy it. So look into whether you’re doing enough to make your employees feel valued and proud to work there.

Perks and incentives don’t have to cost the earth. They can be rewards for long service, team lunches, additional days’ holiday, competitions, employee of the month schemes, vouchers, mini events or foodie treats. Even regular meetings that highlight what’s been happening in the business, including some recognition or praise of good work.

Sometimes, it’s little things like these that can make your staff happy.

Candidates may be comfortable accepting a job with a slightly lower salary if they feel they’ll be joining a good company with room to grow or manoeuvre, so try to highlight career progression routes in your job vacancies and interviews.  

If you don’t hold reviews or appraisals with your employees, now is a good time to start.

This gives them the chance to be open about how they feel about the workplace, and you might find a pattern of things that people aren’t happy with. This then gives you the chance to make improvements and prevent people from making a move.

Take a look at your online reviews, website about us section, LinkedIn pages etc. They’re going to be the first places people head for after seeing your job vacancy.

Do they show you to be an ideal place to work? If not, try finding places where you can add some more information about what it’s like to work at your company. Add some photos and maybe include a “meet the team” page somewhere. Make sure your culture shines through.

It’s a topic many employers have probably heard enough of by now, and in many industries, flexible working isn’t possible.

But if your business can function with some staff working from home occasionally, it’s worth considering. Even offering one day from home a week will be seen as a benefit by candidates, and it may make your job vacancy the favourable one.

In addition to this, by offering some form of flexible working, you open the role up to candidates who live further afield.

If you can’t increase wages, why not offer more flexible work times instead? Offering candidates the option to choose from working from 8-4 instead of 9-5 or offering more flexibility with shifts may give them the better work/life balance they were looking for, and it will show that you’re considering their needs as well as yours.