When it comes to salary negotiations, job candidates have a lot of leverage these days.

"There are a number of economic factors that are relevant for thinking about salary negotiations right now," said Linda Babcock, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Along with rising inflation, the nationwide labor shortage -- there are now almost two jobs available for every job seeker -- has given workers "a lot more bargaining power than they have traditionally had in softer labor markets," she said. READ MORE