If you’re having trouble finding and retaining good employees, then you’re not alone. That’s my takeaway from this article in today’s American Banker which quotes a leading HR professional as suggesting that banks have to get more creative in how they go about attracting new hires as the competition for new employees gets more intense across many industries.

There’s more going on here than a historically low unemployment rate. The banking industry is disproportionately benefiting from a growing economy which of course puts pressure on employee wages. According to the latest survey released by Crowe & Horwath, which has been tracking employment in the banking industry for 36 years, for the first time since the great recession more than half the banks surveyed said they planned to increase total employment during the coming year. In fact, only 35% of banks surveyed plan to maintain their current staffing levels.

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