Low unemployment and a growing economy means organisations are having to fight for every talented person they can get, and in the process are being urged to put more time and energy into their recruitment and selection processes.
Latest research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has suggested more than four-fifths of employers have experienced recruitment difficulties in the past year, and that staff turnover remains high.
There are signs the jobs' market is faltering – notably statistics earlier this month showing the number of people out of work rising for the fourth month running and research from the CIPD itself predicting half of employers will be employing fewer people this time next year.
Nevertheless, the short to medium term outlook remains positive, meaning many employers are facing real difficulties in getting the right people into jobs, said the CIPD.
What's more, even when they have got them hired, one in eight employees is leaving within the first six months, meaning bosses have to start all over again.
The CIPD has stressed in a new publication, Recruitment and Selection, that firms need to be revising existing selection techniques, including their induction process. Its author Gareth Roberts said: "A good induction programme will encourage enthusiasm and help manage employees' expectations from the start of the recruitment process right through to the time when they join the organisation.
"The induction should also provide new employees with all the information they need in order to help them fit into their role and understand the organisation as a whole," he added.