CFOs envision slight job growth in fourth quarter.

• Author: Ladd, Scott
• Position: HUMAN RESOURCES - Chief financial officers

While the national employment picture overall remains stagnant, hiring in the accounting and finance sectors is expected to increase slightly during the fourth quarter of 2010, according to the latest Robert Half Financial Hiring Index.

Eight percent of chief financial officers interviewed for the index say they plan to hire full-time accounting and finance employees during the fourth quarter, while 7 percent expect staff reductions. Though marginal, the 1-percent increase in hiring activity is the first net increase since the first quarter of 2009. The vast majority of CFOs--84 percent--said they expect no changes to their company's personnel levels.

The survey found that business confidence remains strong among the group. A significant majority (86 percent) of executives who were interviewed say they are somewhat optimistic about the outlook for their businesses; of that group, 39 percent said they were very confident.

The Robert Half Financial Hiring Index is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CFOs across the United States.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

It is conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half International, the world's first and largest staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance. Robert Half has been tracking financial hiring activity in the United States since 1992.

"While employers remain...