If you excel at your job then now might be the time to speak to your boss about a pay rise or equally look for an upgrade in your benefits package.

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Equally, if you are an employer looking to attract and, crucially, retain the best staff then you should be running the rule over what it is you offer your staff.

That is because growing confidence in the economy is fuelling salary rises in business across the region with organisations in East Anglia starting to pay more to attract and retain high calibre employees.

That is the key finding of a new salary survey by regional recruitment specialists Pure, which covers its core industry recruitment sectors of accountancy, financial services, human resources, office support and marketing, and for the first time also includes results for the IT sector.

It shows that salaries across East Anglia are starting to increase as the job market becomes more competitive and employers across the region are now having to work harder to attract and retain high calibre staff. This contrasts to the previous steady state of the last five years while firms are also introducing more innovative benefit packages.

Gill Buchanan, co-founder and director at Pure, said: 'The increase in salaries could be partly attributed to the introduction of the national living wage. Salaries have increased for temporary and permanent office roles in particular.

'However, as the Eastern region economy improves more organisations are expanding and recruiting. Competition for talented employees is increasing and with more job opportunities available, people are becoming more confident about switching companies. Candidates feel more empowered to negotiate better terms and employers need to be prepared for this. Our salary survey is not just for job-seekers; we also compile it to provide employers with the research needed to benchmark how competitive their salary offering is.'

The report shows that salary increases are particularly noticeable in Cambridgeshire, while in general, salaries across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have remained more consistent, but are predicted to rise as the job market continues to become more buoyant.

Employers are also reviewing how to attract and retain good employees. In Norfolk and Suffolk in particular there has been a noticeable trend for increased investment in career development opportunities, highlighted by the number of businesses seeking to appoint learning and development or training specialists.

Ms Buchanan added: 'Being able to demonstrate an investment in employee development is an excellent way to help attract high calibre candidates. Candidates are still reluctant to move on salary alone and benefits, career progression and workplace culture remain significant deciding factors.

'However, employers also need to review whether the benefits they offer are still competitive. Pensions used to be a key differentiator, but with the Workplace Pensions roll out almost complete, employers are now starting to offer enhanced pensions to entice new employees.

'Benefits which used to make employers stand out from the crowd are also becoming more common place, for example 85% of the companies we've surveyed now offer flexible working hours.'

The findings have been compiled using information from Pure's Compare my Salary tool. Click here to see the full 2016 salary survey or email clare.fuller@prs.uk.com.

Meanwhile, detailing what companies are doing to help them attract and retain staff underpins Best Employers Eastern Region 2016, a biennial survey measuring employee engagement, culture and development.

The confidential survey, which is open between April and September, is produced by Pure in collaboration with eras Ltd.

The aim is to help businesses uncover what employees really think, and help organisations create positive strategies that truly put employees at the heart of their business, which is essential for hiring and retaining top talent, and one of the top priorities for businesses today.

Anyone taking part is also invited to attend a series of workshops designed to help put the results into practice. These cover leadership and employee engagement, with guest speakers from business leaders across the region, while all participants are automatically entered for a series of awards including: innovation, employee engagement and customer focus as well as county specific awards.

You can click here to find out more about the Best Employer Survey

In addition Pure is also sponsoring the new Employer of the Year category in the EDP Business Awards.

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