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For Immediate Release
February 1, 2008
THE QUEST FOR TALENT
Recruiting Remains Executives' Top Concern, Survey Shows
MENLO PARK, CA -- Recruiting experienced
professionals remains a concern for many companies, a nationwide survey
shows. One in five (20 percent)
chief financial officers (CFOs) polled recently said finding skilled
staff will be their greatest challenge in the next 12 months, up three
points from a similar poll in 2003. Meeting customer needs was the
second biggest concern, cited by 16
percent of respondents.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources, the
world’s premier provider of senior-level accounting and finance
professionals on a project and interim basis. It was conducted by an
independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a
stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or
more employees.
CFOs were asked, “Which one
of the following is the biggest challenge facing your company in the
next 12 months?” Their responses:
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2008
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2003
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Finding skilled
staff
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20%
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17%
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Meeting
customer demands
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16%
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12%
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Government regulation
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15%
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20%
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Competition
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14%
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18%
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Adequate sales and/or financing
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12%
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19%
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None of these/other
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17%
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8%
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Don't know/no answer
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6%
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6%
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100%
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100%
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“With the national unemployment rate for college-educated
professionals approximately half that of the general population,
competition for skilled financial talent remains strong,” said Paul
McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. “To
attract top performers, businesses are making recruiting a year-round
priority.”
McDonald cautions, however, against automatically filling an open
position without first evaluating strategic personnel requirements. “By
conducting an in-depth workload analysis, hiring managers can determine
if there is an ongoing need that requires a full-time employee or if
the work could more efficiently be performed by an interim professional
or outsourced to an accounting or consulting firm.”
The survey also revealed a decrease in the number of CFOs who saw
government regulation as their biggest challenge. “Now that the initial
requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have been met, corporate
governance policies are more established, and the focus is on
repeatable processes that ensure internal control over financial
reporting,” said McDonald.
Robert Half Management Resources
has more than 140 offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and offers
online job search services at www.roberthalfmr.com.
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