Accounting and finance firms are concerned about finding skilled workers to fill their ranks, not to mention keeping them in their jobs once they arrive.
According to the fifth annual Robert Half global financial employment monitor, 67% of respondents said it is either very or somewhat challenging to find skilled accounting and finance professionals for certain jobs.
Meantime, 56% of respondents say they are at least somewhat concerned about retaining top performers in the coming year, an increase from 45% last year.
“Finding skilled professionals has become increasingly challenging, and candidate shortages are emerging in some regions and specialty areas,” commented Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half.
The survey polled 6,000 financial leaders across 19 countries and found that 89% of respondents are somewhat confident in their organization’s growth prospects in the coming year.
In Canada, however, 41% are concerned about keeping their best people.
“As job opportunities expand for top performers, they are more likely to explore these career options, making staff retention a higher priority for businesses,” said Messmer.
“Especially at smaller firms, the departure of even a single employee can result in lost skills and organizational knowledge that are difficult to replace.”
Joel McKay
Twitter:jmckaybiv