Phoenix CFOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Next Six Months

Robert Half Survey Finds 68 Percent of Phoenix Companies Face Recruiting Challenges

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Sep 07, 2016, 08:10 ET

PHOENIX, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Phoenix Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half shows 13 percent of Phoenix CFOs expect their company to create new jobs in the next six months. Another 72 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. 2016 – Feb. 2017	March 2016 – Aug. 2016*
Expanding – adding new positions	13%	18%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	72%	66%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	13%	13%
Reducing – eliminating positions	2%	1%
Don't know/no answer	0%	1%

*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

View an infographic featuring the survey results.

Recruiting Challenges
Sixty-eight percent of Phoenix CFOs surveyed said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today. This compares to 63 percent in the previous six months.

Phoenix executives (39 percent) also said finding skilled workers is their greatest staffing challenge.

"The rising number of job openings in the Phoenix area has contributed to a competitive hiring environment for many employers," said Travis Laird, regional vice president of Robert Half in Phoenix. "It's a candidate-driven market and job seekers are being more discerning about salary, benefits and culture. Employers need to be prepared to offer competitive salaries, stress their unique benefits and expedite their hiring process, or risk losing talent to the competition or to counteroffers."

Business Confidence
According to the Professional Employment Forecast, Phoenix 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 Phoenix 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 additional career and management insights, visit roberthalf.com/phoenix.

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SOURCE Robert Half