Full-time hiring in accounting and finance in the US is expected to see a modest uptick in the second quarter, according to the most recent Robert Half International Financial Hiring Index. CFOs surveyed anticipate a net 6% increase in hiring activity, up one point from the first-quarter projection and equal to forecasts made this time last year. 8% of CFOs plan to add staff in the coming quarter, and 2% foresee personnel reductions.
The national poll includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half International, the world's largest staffing services firm specializing in accounting, finance and information technology.
"Companies appear to be more confident, pursuing new initiatives as well as ones that were previously postponed," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. "As economic conditions improve and more projects are launched, there is greater urgency to hire accounting and finance personnel to support expansion efforts."
Among executives planning to increase staff levels in the second quarter, 61% cited business growth as the reason. 17%of those polled pointed to larger workloads.