Seattle CFOs Plan Increased Hiring In Next Six Months

Robert Half Survey Finds Majority of Seattle Companies Optimistic About Business Growth

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Sep 07, 2016, 08:11 ET

SEATTLE, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Seattle executives expect professional-level hiring to increase in the next six months, according to the just-released Seattle Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half. Eighteen percent of local CFOs anticipate their company will create new jobs, up 5 points from the previous six-month period. Another 67 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	18%	13%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	67%	72%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	11%	11%
Reducing – eliminating positions	4%	4%
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-five percent of Seattle CFOs surveyed said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today. This compares to 60 percent in our survey of the previous six months.

Seattle executives (47 percent) also cited maintaining employee morale and productivity as an additional challenge when hiring and managing staff.

"Hiring managers in Seattle continue to face a challenging hiring environment," said Josh Warborg, district president for Robert Half in the Pacific Northwest. "Organizations finding the most success have been increasing the compensation they offer to ensure they are competitive in the market. They are also including perks such as flextime or employee wellness programs that are attractive to candidates."

Business Confidence

According to the Professional Employment Forecast, Seattle CFOs are optimistic about their company's growth. Ninety-four percent of executives reported being somewhat or very confident in their company's prospects for growth in the next six months, up one point from six months ago.

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 Seattle 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/seattle-tacoma.

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SOURCE Robert Half