Recruiting experienced professionals remains a concern for many companies, a survey shows. Forty-three per cent of chief financial officers (CFOs) polled recently said finding skilled staff will be their greatest challenge in the next 12 months, close to double from a similar poll in 2003. Competition was the second biggest concern, cited by 18 per cent of respondents, followed by meeting customer needs at 16 per cent.

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 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian 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:



                                                                                                2008                                 2003

Finding skilled staff.........................................                     43%                                 22%

Competition......................................................                     18%                                 16%

Meeting customer demands.................................             17%                                 16%

Government regulation........................................                10%                                 14%

Adequate sales and/or financing..........................               3%                                 23%

None of these/other............................................                    2%                                    1%

Don't know/no answer.......................................                    7%                                    8%

                                                                                                 100%                               100%



"Recruiting top performers continues to be an ongoing priority for many companies as the competition for talent remains strong," said David King, executive vice-president of Robert Half Management Resources.

King advises, however, against automatically filling open positions without first evaluating personnel requirements. "Hiring managers can staff strategically by approaching recruitment as a way to fill needs, not desks," said King. "By analyzing workloads in-depth, hiring managers can determine if a full-time hire is required or whether an interim professional or an accounting or consulting firm is best suited to fulfill ongoing business demands."

The survey also revealed a decrease in the number of CFOs who saw government regulation as their biggest challenge. "Due to increased knowledge and understanding, companies are now less focused on corporate financial reporting in Canada," said King. "Many companies instead, are shifting their attention to preparing for International Financial Reporting Standards."