Nicholas Bloom, professor of economics at Stanford University, says demand for labour is fast outstripping supply in sectors, particularly in tech. The financial industry – with jobs that often require 70-hour-plus workweeks – has also driven up starting salaries to hire the best candidates. So, in most cases, graduates are being handed six-figure salaries simply as a “blunt recruitment tool” amid the current labour market conditions, adds Rue Dooley, an HR knowledge advisor for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), based in the US.