Cleveland CFOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Next Six Months

Robert Half Survey Finds 63 Percent of Cleveland Companies Face Recruiting Challenges

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Sep 07, 2016, 08:10 ET

CLEVELAND, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland executives expect professional-level hiring to increase in the next six months, according to the just-released Cleveland Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half. Sixteen percent of local CFOs anticipate their company will create new jobs, up 5 points from the previous six-month period. Another 69 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:

Robert Half Professional Employment Forecast provides snapshot of Cleveland hiring.

	Sept. 2016 – Feb. 2017*	March 2016 – Aug. 2016
Expanding – adding new positions	16%	11%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	69%	70%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	14%	16%
Reducing – eliminating positions	2%	3%

*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

View an infographic featuring the survey results.

Recruiting Challenges
Sixty-three percent of Cleveland CFOs surveyed said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today. This compares to 61 percent in the survey of the previous six months.

Cleveland executives (46 percent) also said finding skilled workers is their greatest staffing challenge.

"Hiring has been brisk in the Cleveland accounting sector this year, and competition for skilled professionals continues to intensify," said Alan Reisinger, regional vice president for Robert Half in Cleveland. "Controllers, financial analysts, staff and senior accountants, and professionals with financial reporting skills are highly sought after."

Reisinger added, "Employers are beginning to place more emphasis on the overall potential of a candidate, versus simply focusing on their past relevant experience. They want to hire talented individuals who fit the long-term plans for their organization."

Business Confidence
According to the Professional Employment Forecast, Cleveland CFOs are optimistic about their company's growth. Eighty-nine percent of executives reported being somewhat or very confident in their company's prospects in the next six months.

About the Professional Employment Forecast
The Professional Employment Forecast was developed by Robert Half 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 Cleveland area with 20 or more employees. Executives were asked about their hiring and business outlook, including plans to add professional-level employees in areas such as accounting, finance, human resources, administrative, legal, marketing and information technology.

About Robert Half
Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm. The company, based in Menlo Park, California, has more than 340 staffing locations worldwide and offers job search and management tools at roberthalf.com. Additional insights on the latest hiring trends also can be found in the company's just-released 2017 Salary Guides. For more career and management insights, visit roberthalf.com/cleveland-akron.

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SOURCE Robert Half