Nearly three-quarters of companies plan to add to their workforce in 2018, according to the “2019 Hiring Challenges” report released by LaSalle Network, a Chicago-based staffing provider.

The survey of more than 4,000 executives in human resources and finance found 74% of respondents plan to add headcount in 2019, up from 65% in 2018. Further, 61% of respondents plan to raise wages in 2019, up from 48% in 2018.

Finding skilled candidates remains the top hiring challenge for 2019, cited by 65% of respondents.

The second-biggest hiring challenge for employers is meeting compensation requirements, according to the research. Sixty-one percent of respondents stated they plan to raise wages in 2019, and one out of four plan to add benefits in 2019.

Respondents ranked identifying diverse candidates as the third-biggest hiring challenge for 2019; it was cited by 45% of survey participants, up from 27% last year and 18% in the survey for 2017.