St. Louis CFOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Next Six Months

Survey Finds Ninety-One Percent of St. Louis Companies Confident About Growth

News provided by

Apr 02, 2015, 08:10 ET

ST. LOUIS, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released St. Louis Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half indicates 9 percent of St. Louis chief financial officers (CFOs) expect their companies to create new jobs in the next six months. Another 80 percent plan to hire for open roles, compared to 78 percent during the previous six months.

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

	Sept. 2014 – Feb. 2015*	March – Aug. 2015*
Expanding – adding new positions	13%	9%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	78%	80%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	9%	10%
Reducing – eliminating positions	1%	1%
Don't know/no answer	0%	0%

*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

"Low unemployment rates, an improving local economy and increasing demand for specialized skill sets have created a candidate-driven market in St. Louis," said Tama Emery, regional vice president of Robert Half in St. Louis. "Companies need to move quickly and make competitive job offers if they want to secure top talent."

Recruiting Challenges

Organizations looking to add staff may face difficulties, Robert Half's research shows. Fifty-nine percent of St. Louis 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, St. Louis CFOs are optimistic about their companies' growth. Ninety-one percent of executives reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' growth prospects in the next six months.

About the Professional Employment Forecast

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 reflect a two-period rolling average based on interviews with 200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in the St. Louis 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.

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