Hiring Increases in Finance Anticipated

The newly-released Robert Half International Financial Hiring Index found that 11% of chief financial officers anticipate adding accounting and finance staff in the next three months, compared with 3% that expect to cut back.  Most (84%) expect no change.

A net 8% hiring increase was also forecast in the previous two quarters.

Regional Influence

Opportunities appear brightest in the South Atlantic states, where 19% are looking to expand staff, and just 1% contemplating staff reductions.

In the Mountain states 12% anticipate a staff expansion, while no reductions are planned.

With regard to sectors of strength, wholesalers seem most optimistic, with 18% of CFOs planning to expand, while 3% are cutting back.  The business services industry anticipates a net hiring increase of 11%, while 10% of those in the professional services and transportation sectors are expanding.  Roughly 9% of construction industry firms surveyed anticipate growth.

The national poll includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies with 20 or more employees.

Robert Half International is a staffing services firm specializing in the accounting, finance and information technology fields.