Finance Execs Blame Economy for Increased Job Complexity

August 25, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - More than half of finance and accounting professionals recently polled blamed the current economy for increasing job complexity.

A press release from Ajilon Finance, an accounting and finance specialty recruitment and career advisement firm, said its poll of 500 professionals found 65% think the U.S. is currently experiencing a recession, and 54% feel the economic uncertainty is making their jobs more complex. Forty-six percent of finance professionals see their companies implementing strategic changes for long-term benefits to navigate the current environment, compared to 19% who indicated their company will only make short-term changes and 21% who said their company is focused solely on maintaining the status quo.

The survey results suggest accounting job opportunities remain strong. The majority of respondents (65%) think that compared to a year ago, there are currently more or the same amount of job opportunities available for accountants. Just over one-quarter of those polled (27%) said it is challenging to recruit qualified candidates for job openings on their teams.

Given the increased pressure on accountants to take on a more strategic role in their organizations, more than eight out of 10 (82%) respondents cited soft skills as very important for accounting professionals, with no respondents claiming this skill set to be minimally important.

The survey additionally found that despite increased attention on company financials and cost cutting initiatives, a majority of finance executives (55%) do not think their organization is losing sight of other strategic goals such as sales or hiring.

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