The staffing crisis has been making waves in the CPA profession for the past few years. Now, the rest of the business world is taking notice, too.

In a Wall Street Journal article titled "Recruiters chase a shrinking talent pool," author Julie Bennett writes that "competition for entry-level and experienced talent is just as heated as it was in 2003, when the first (Sarbanes-Oxley) gun was fired."

"The average master's degree candidate will receive five offers ... at salaries of around $50,000," Bennett writes, quoting numbers from Bill Brady, director of the business career center at Brigham Young's Marriott School of Management. And the hunt for top talent doesn't stop there: "A good accountant looking to leave the firm he's working for will receive three or four offers, plus a counter-offer from his current employer," Georgina Fox of the executive search firm Michael Page told the Journal.

A recent series of MACPA podcasts took a closer look at recruitment, retention and talent management. Listen to the podcasts here:

• Talent management
• Recruitment and retention, part 1
• Recruitment and retention, part 2
• Recruitment and retention, part 3

What are you doing to attract and retain talent in this competitive environment?