Washington, D.C., CFOs Plan Increased Hiring In Next Six Months

Robert Half Survey Finds 93 Percent of Companies in the District Optimistic About Business Growth

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Sep 07, 2016, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington, D.C., executives expect professional-level hiring to increase in the next six months, according to the just-released Washington, D.C., Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half. Twenty percent of local CFOs anticipate their company will create new jobs, up 2 points from the previous six-month period. Another 66 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:

Washington, D.C. CFOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Next Six Months

	Sept. 2016 – Feb. 2017	March 2016 – Aug. 2016
Expanding – adding new positions	20%	18%
Maintaining – only filling vacated positions	66%	68%
Freezing – not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	13%	12%
Reducing – eliminating positions	1%	2%

View an infographic featuring the survey results.

Recruiting Challenges
Fifty-eight percent of Washington, D.C., CFOs surveyed said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today.

More than a third (36 percent) of Washington, D.C., executives also cited maintaining employee morale and productivity as an additional challenge when hiring and managing staff.

"Demand for highly skilled professionals in the areas of accounting, finance and IT is outweighing the supply of available candidates in the local job market," said Josh Howarth, senior regional manager for Robert Half in Washington, D.C. "Employers — particularly in the healthcare, nonprofit and hospitality industries — are doing everything they can to win the war for talent by speeding up their hiring process and re-evaluating their compensation and benefits packages."

Business Confidence
According to the Professional Employment Forecast, Washington, D.C., CFOs are optimistic about their company's growth. Ninety-three 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 Washington, D.C., 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/washington-dc.

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SOURCE Robert Half