Pay remains the largest individual deal-breaker. Hardly a revelation. Good transactional temps, qualified accountants, audit and tax specialists, professional contractors and senior interims understand their market value, particularly where their experience or technical skills are in short supply.

But the more interesting figure is the other 73%. Lack of flexibility, commuting, slow decision-making, vague briefs, uncertainty and the people involved can all cause an employer to lose a perfectly good candidate.

Before automatically increasing the budget, take another look at the assignment. Is five days in the office genuinely necessary? Is the brief clear? Does an audit or tax specialist understand the project they're walking into? Does an interim know what success is supposed to look like? Can you make a decision faster? Sometimes making an opportunity more attractive costs considerably less than simply increasing the rate.