Businesses optimistic about growth but face greater recruiting difficulties
Nearly all Canadian business executives are optimistic about their companies' growth prospects in the first six months of 2014, however, they are less certain about their ability to recruit experienced talent for open jobs, according to a Robert Half survey.
More than one-half (58 per cent) of CFOs said it is at least somewhat challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today. While this is down slightly from 60 per cent this time last year, with the number of executives selecting "very challenging" increased seven points, found the survey of 270 CFOs. Retaining skilled workers has become a greater business priority as the process of replacing good employees costs time and money, and may result in interruptions in business activity, according to Greg Scileppi, president of Robert Half international staffing operations. "More and more, we see organizations reviewing their salary benchmarks to ensure they remain competitive with compensation and incentives being offered to their staff." "How challenging is it for your company to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today?" 2014 2013 Very challenging 26% 19% Somewhat challenging 32% 41% Not challenging 30% 21% Don't know/no answer 13% 19% "How confident are you in your company's prospects for growth in the first quarter of 2014?" 2014 2013 Very confident 35% 35% Somewhat confident 52% 49% Not at all confident 6% 12% Don't know/no answer 7% 4%
