March 3, 2009

A few local CFO's may be hiring
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 2:49 PM

By Chris Reidy, Globe staff

Be nice to chief financial officers - at a time when every day seems to bring news of more layoffs, some local CFOs are hiring.

That's one headline from a financial hiring index compiled by Robert Half International Inc., a California firm that provides staffing and risk consulting services and that has a presence in Boston.

According to the local component of the Robert Half survey, which was based on interviews with 200 chief financial officers from a sample of companies with 20 or more employees, the hiring of full-time accounting and finance professionals in the Boston area is expected to increase in the second quarter, with 9 percent of chief financial officers surveyed planning to add staff during the quarter and with 1 percent anticipating personnel reductions.

"The net 8 percent increase is up 2 points from the area's first-quarter 2009 forecast and 10 points above the national average," Robert Half said in a press release.

In a statement, Bill Driscoll, district president for Robert Half International, commented on the survey's local findings.

"Local companies remain cautious when it comes to hiring, but there are still some specialties in demand," Driscoll said. "In particular, roles in tax, credit, and collections are commonly filled quickly, and candidates in these fields may even receive multiple employment offers."

That would seem to be a silver lining for a local financial services industry that has seen its fair share of layoffs.

Last fall, the forecasting firm Moody's Economy.com projected that the collapsing stock market and weakening economy could cost the Massachusetts financial services industry 7,200 jobs, or 4 percent of the sector's statewide workforce, through the end of 2009. To read a Globe story about that survey, please click here. To read a press release about Robert Half's national survey, please click here.

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