Financial Specialists Divided Over Whether to Increase Hiring Over Summer

A new report from recruiter Robert Half finds financial specialists split on whether or not they will increase or reduce staff in July, August and September.

According to the survey, 44% of CFOs across the industry spectrum were very confident in their organizations' ability to grow in the third quarter. The most optimistic outlook came from attorneys and marketing professionals. Some 30% of lawyers and a net 19% of marketing executives are planning to increase staff levels.

On the other hand, just 7% of finance and accounting pros expected hiring to increase in the third quarter of this year, and a similar 6% felt things would move in the opposite direction, and that less hiring will occur in the upcoming quarter. Second quarter projections were about the same: Seven percent of financial professionals precicted staff levels would increase and the same percentage predicted a decline.

The report is based on the opinons of 1,400 CFOS at companies with at least 100 employees, 1,400 CFOS at smaller firms, 500 HR managers at companies with at least 20 workers, as well as 600 lawyers, marketing professionals, and ad execs.

Corporate finance positions most in demand include:

-Financial analysts: Firms seek employees able to develop strategies to control costs and boost profit.

-Systems analysts: A combination of finance and information technology expertise are sought to enhance existing IT systems while capitalizing on new hardware and software.

-Senior and staff accountants: Experts are being sought to prepare financial statements and to oversee accounts payable and receivable.

In some cases, companies unable to afford full-time personell for the aformentioned spots are hiring interim and temporary workers to fulfill workload needs.