Oh sure, good employees are hard to come by. But employers say they have stacks of applications from mediocre to lousy potential hires.
Top dollar is what they pay the good ones.
And they are paying. In today's Internet-happy global economy, it comes as no surprise that employers are willing to pay top dollar for employees with technical or computer skills, or some knowledge of international politics and business. Being able to speak a foreign language never hurts. That's the way to make sure you're making more money every time you move. And there's no place to hide anymore in middle management.