Atlantic Canadian business owners who buy a copy of Halifax-based Gerald Walsh Associates Inc.’s annual salary guide will find some unsurprising news in it. Employers in the region are having a hard time attracting top talent to their organizations, and they can’t afford to pay higher salaries to get that talent in their fold.

So what’s an employer to do? Gerry Walsh, president of his eponymous human resources firm, says one solution, especially for small businesses and non-profit organizations, is to offer non-cash forms of compensation to woo talented employees. “Bigger companies have the option of paying higher salaries as a tool to attract employers,” Walsh says. “For smaller companies, non-cash forms of compensation are a way to save cash.”

To gain a window into what potential employees in Atlantic Canada (just under 400 people responded to the survey) want, here are some results that could help inform the recruitment strategies for businesses in the region.