A recruitment survey has found a critical shortage in professional occupations could lead to wages growth of 5 to 7 per cent in Australia in the next year.
The survey by the global recruitment firm Michael Page International has found there are not enough professional workers to satisfy demand, despite the lowest unemployment rate in more than 30 years.
The firm's managing director, Phillip Guest, says the tight labour market is part of a global trend.
Mr Guest says employers are losing valuable professional staff to lucrative overseas markets.
"Ninety-one per cent of them are saying their staff numbers will remain constant or will increase in the coming year, so essentially what's happening is that competition for skilled workers is intensifying," he said.
"As a result of that added competition, employers are having to address salaries as a way of retaining employees."
Mr Guest says government and business need to offer better incentives for staff to stay in Australia and avoid a further tightening of the labour market.
"We're seeing a particularly high pressure in the professional occupation groups and they can range from a variety of different sectors or occupation groups," he said.
"The key ones are obviously accounting, finance and management, IT and sales and marketing."
............ and many pilots are still getting paid a pittance.