Finding qualified staff is as high a priority for companies today as it was
two years ago, according to a recent survey. When asked to cite the biggest
challenge facing their firms in the next 12 months, 27 percent of chief
financial officers (CFOs) polled said locating prospective employees -- the
same number as in a 1998 survey.
The survey was developed by Robert Half International Inc., the world's
first and largest staffing service specializing in the accounting, finance
and information technology fields. 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 more than 20 employees.
CFOs were asked: "Which of the following is the biggest challenge facing
your company in the next 12 months?" Their responses:
- Finding qualified staff:
2000 - 27%
1998 - 27%
- Sustaining growth:
2000 - 22%
1998 - 22%
- Government regulation:
2000 - 15%
1998 - 12%
- Meeting customer demands:
2000 - 15%
1998 - 14%
- Competition:
2000 - 11%
1998 - 20%
- Other:
2000 - 5%
1998 - 2%
- Don't know/no answer:
2000 - 5%
1998 - 3%
"Continued economic strength and resulting business expansion are generating
robust hiring activity nationwide," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of
Robert Half International. "As competition for candidates increases, firms
are using a variety of proactive ways to find prospective employees,
including employee referral programs, posting positions online, using
specialized recruiters, launching direct-mail campaigns and participating in
job fairs."
Messmer noted that competition from other firms appears to be less of a
concern for companies compared to two years ago. Only 11 percent of
executives ranked competition as their biggest challenge, down from 20
percent in 1998.
-- Article courtesy of Robert Half International Inc., which has more than
270 locations in North America, Europe and Australia, and offers online job
search services at http://www.rhii.com.
