65% of CFOs Say Finding Qualified Staff is a Challenge

With the unemployment rate for college-educated workers at around 2%, employers are finding it difficult to recruit top talent in many professional occupations.

In a recent survey from global staffing firm Robert Half, 65% of CFOs said it is at least somewhat challenging to identify skilled workers for current job vacancies.

View the infographic in full size: https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/management-tips/skilled-candidates-in-short-supply

CFOs were asked, “In general, how challenging is it for your company to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today?” Their responses*:

Very challenging	20%
Somewhat challenging	45%
Not challenging	24%
Not applicable/not looking	12%
Total	101%

*Responses do not equal 100% due to rounding.

“With skilled professionals in short supply, hiring strategies that worked well a few years ago may no longer be effective,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half. “Smart businesses are retooling their recruiting practices to feed the talent pipeline.”

To cast a wider net, 51% of executives are considering entry-level applicants for roles that historically weren’t open to them, and an equal percentage are expanding their search geographically. Other strategies include bringing on interim professionals, shortening the recruiting process and loosening job criteria.

Robert Half offers the following advice for employers:

Re-examine your hiring criteria. Identify must-have attributes and skills that can be taught on the job. Develop a strong onboarding program to help new employees get up to speed quickly and learn your company’s systems and processes.
Amp up active recruitment. Long gone are the days when you can advertise a job opening and wait for skilled professionals to apply. Keep your eyes and ears open. No matter what type of event you are at, be ready to describe your company’s exciting job opportunities.
Consider remote options. Give potential employees the option to work remotely, if the nature of the job allows for it. This flexibility enables you to tap a wider base of professionals.
Partner with a recruiter. Staffing professionals can help you quickly find and secure candidates you may not be able to identify on your own. They’ll also handle other aspects of the hiring process such as posting job openings, interviewing applicants, checking references, extending offers and negotiating compensation.
Leverage employee referrals. Ask employees if they know people who would be good additions to the team, as your staff are more likely to refer candidates who they think will be a good fit. Implementing an employee referral program can also be a powerful recruiting tool.

The survey was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on telephone interviews with more than 2,200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

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