Chief financial officers are apparently in a hiring mood. According to the latest quarterly survey from Robert Half International, 7 percent of CFOs expect to bring on full-time accounting or finance employees in the third quarter, while 3 percent anticipate reductions in personnel.
The staffing firm noted that for the second quarter, the spread between hiring and cutbacks was just a single percentage point.
The national poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CFOs from U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.
Of survey respondents who plan to hire in the third quarter, 43 percent cited business growth as the primary factor driving their decision; 24 percent attributed their hiring plans to rising workloads.
“Companies are expanding and moving forward with new projects,” said Max Messmer, Robert Half’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a press release. “As a result, firms are seeking accounting personnel — in particular, staff and senior accountants — to support growth initiatives.” Messmer added that “demand is especially high” for individuals with Securities and Exchange Commission reporting experience.
The most promising regions for job hunters are out West; in the Pacific and West South Central states, a net 7 percent of CFOs expect to add accounting and finance staff in the coming quarter. Robert Half especially noted a premium on experienced accounting and finance personnel in the Pacific region.
By industry, construction executives are by far the most optimistic about their hiring plans, according to the survey; 19 percent anticipate hiring full-time accounting and finance employees in the third quarter, while none expect cutbacks. Hiring activity in the finance, insurance, and real-estate industries is also expected to be above average.