San Diego Executives Reveal Hiring Plans

83 Percent of San Diego CFOs Say They are Confident in Their Companies' Growth Prospects for Next Six Months

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Apr 02, 2015, 08:10 ET

SAN DIEGO, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) in the San Diego area report their companies will be creating new jobs in the next six months, according to the new San Diego Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half. Another 71 percent of finance executives said they will be maintaining personnel levels, adding staff to fill vacated positions.

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 are based on interviews with 100 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in the San Diego 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.

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

Expanding – adding new positions	9%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	71%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	16%
Reducing – eliminating positions	4%
	100%

"The San Diego area continues to enjoy strong business growth and, as a result, demand for highly skilled candidates across many functional roles is increasing, making it more challenging for firms to attract and hire top candidates," said Brett Good, senior district president for Robert Half in San Diego. "Because of this, open roles are taking longer to fill, and clients are using temporary and project professionals to keep work flows moving as they search for candidates to fill their full-time openings."

Recruiting Challenges
Organizations looking to add staff may face difficulties, Robert Half's research shows. Forty-nine percent of San Diego 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, San Diego CFOs are optimistic about their companies' growth. Eighty-three percent of executives reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' growth prospects in the next six months.

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