Atlanta CFOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Next Six Months

Survey Finds 94 Percent of Atlanta Companies Confident About Growth Prospects

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Apr 02, 2015, 08:10 ET

ATLANTA, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Atlanta Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half indicates 17 percent of Atlanta chief financial officers (CFOs) expect their companies to create new jobs in the next six months. Another 75 percent plan to hire for open roles, compared to 67 percent in the previous six months.

CFOs were asked, "What are your company's hiring plans for full-time, professional-level employees in the next six months?" Their responses:

	Sept. 2014 – Feb. 2015*	March – Aug. 2015*
Expanding – adding new positions	22%	17%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	67%	75%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	5%	5%
Reducing – eliminating positions	6%	4%
Don't know/no answer	1%	0%
*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

"With recent corporate relocations to the Atlanta area, an optimistic business outlook for many executives and low unemployment rates, companies are finding it difficult to locate and hire skilled talent," said Andy Decker, senior regional president for Robert Half in Atlanta. "Demand is particularly strong for specialties including accountants, audit professionals, web developers, and financial and business analysts."

Recruiting Challenges
Organizations looking to add staff may face difficulties, Robert Half's research shows. Sixty-one percent of Atlanta CFOs surveyed said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today.

Staffing issues remain a concern for companies. In a study by Protiviti and the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Initiative at the North Carolina State University Poole College of Management, board members and senior executives cited the ability to attract and retain top talent as one of the top risks facing their businesses. The majority of respondents, 56 percent, felt it had a significant impact on their organizations.

Business Confidence
According to the Professional Employment Forecast, Atlanta CFOs are optimistic about their companies' growth. Ninety-four percent of executives reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the next six months.

About the Professional Employment Forecast
The Professional Employment Forecast was developed by Robert Half, the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, and conducted by an independent research firm. The local results reflect a two-period rolling average based on interviews with 200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in the Atlanta area with 20 or more employees. Executives were asked about their hiring and business outlook, including plans to add professional-level employees, for example, staff in the accounting, human resources, administrative, legal, marketing and information technology fields.

About Robert Half
Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company has more than 340 staffing locations worldwide and offers online job search and management tools at roberthalf.com. For career and management advice, follow our blog at blog.roberthalf.com.

Robert Half is also the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm.

SOURCE Robert Half