Hays Senior Finance Announces Demand for Southern Home Counties Finance Chiefs

LONDON, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hays Senior Finance has announced that finance professionals in the Southern Home Counties are enjoying a rise in demand for their business management skills and commercial know-how, according to the leading recruiting expert. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of employers say retention of qualified accountants will be a key priority in 2011, with four in 10 (40 per cent) worried they won't be able to hold onto their star players. The research suggests that they may have good reason to worry, with two-thirds (67 per cent) of senior finance professionals saying they intend to look for a new job in the new year.

Rob Anderson, regional director for Hays Senior Finance in the Southern Home Counties, said: "Companies of all sizes, from blue-chip multinationals to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have been lifting headcount freezes to ease the burden on existing finance teams. Employers are also making more use of interim appointments, with some companies paying interim chief financial officers (CFOs) up to 880 pounds Sterling a day."

In the Southern Home Counties, CFOs and group finance directors in large corporate organisations can earn 200,000 - 500,000 pounds, with many employers paying more to fill their most senior vacancies than they typically did prior to the economic downturn.

Anderson continued: "Competition has already intensified to the extent that senior finance professionals routinely receive more than one job offer. Employers are increasingly being trumped by lucrative counter-offers, as CEOs and board directors attempt to hang onto their finance chiefs. Talented qualified accountants are increasingly being sought-after for financial analysis roles, or to help mitigate operational or business risk.

"Telecoms and hi-tech employers are likely to be amongst the most active recruiters. International finance skill sets will be in demand, as many head offices based in the Southern Home Counties oversee finance not just for the UK but also for Europe, Middle East and Africa, or beyond. As the global recovery continues, senior finance professionals will increasingly be relied upon to inform cross-border decision-making."

About Hays:

Hays plc (the "Group") is the leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, offering facilities management jobs, social housing jobs and admin jobs , amongst others, in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

As at 30 June 2010, the Group employed 6,845 staff operating from 270 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms.

SOURCE Hays