Naturally, hiking wages is one incentive for retaining workers, but it's hardly the only incentive. Besides reasonable pay, some workers want to feel like they're growing within their jobs. That their current situation will turn into improved future career prospects.

Strong training and upskilling programs are a major draw for job applicants -- 90 percent of survey respondents consider them an important feature in prospective employers. That number jumps to 97 percent for employees in the tech industry.