Boston CFOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Next Six Months

Survey Finds 93 Percent of Boston Companies Confident in Growth Prospects

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Apr 02, 2015, 08:20 ET

BOSTON, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Boston Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half indicates 16 percent of Boston chief financial officers (CFOs) expect their companies to create new jobs in the next six months. Another 76 percent plan to hire for open roles.

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	17%	16%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	78%	76%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	4%	6%
Reducing – eliminating positions	1%	2%
Don't know/no answer	0%	0%

"The unemployment rate in Massachusetts is at a seven-year low and as a result, many local companies are experiencing challenges hiring the skilled professionals required to accommodate growth," said Ryan Sutton, senior regional vice president for Robert Half in Boston. "We've seen a steady increase in demand for temporary and full-time professionals, particularly in the accounting and finance, information technology and administrative fields, and we expect that to continue over the next six months."

Recruiting Challenges
Organizations looking to expand and add staff may face difficulties, research shows. Fifty-four percent of Boston 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, Boston CFOs are optimistic about their companies' growth. Ninety-three percent of executives reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the next six months. This compares to 92 percent in the previous 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 Boston 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