Nearly 60 per cent of senior staff at the Halifax Regional Municipality are eligible to retire over the next five years, council has been told.

Human resources staff raised the alarm Tuesday, describing a looming staffing crunch as managers, directors and supervisors approach retirement age.

Coun. Sue Uteck said she believes money will be a stumbling block in attracting and keeping replacement employees.

"No one wants to talk about the elephant in the room, and that's salaries. What we're currently paying employees, and you've mentioned budget constraints, is a barrier," she said.

Coun. Tim Outhit said the municipality should consider immigration as a solution.

"The world does not have a shortage of people. The demographic challenges are really only in Western Europe, Japan and North America. So there are places where we can look for people if we need them," said Outhit.

Municipal staff say they are working on leadership development plans to deal with the staff shortage, such as partnering with immigrant groups, as well as universities and aboriginal and African-Nova Scotian communities.

They're looking for candidates with science or computer skills.

The municipality currently has about 3,200 full-time employees and 1,400 part-time workers.