Executives Project Second-Quarter Hiring Plans - Robert Half Professional Employment Report: Most Active Hiring Again Expected in Legal and Marketing Fields

TORONTO, March 6 /CNW/ - Seventeen per cent of executives interviewed for the Robert Half Professional Employment Report plan to add full-time, professional-level staff in the second three months of 2012, while 8 per cent foresee declines. The resulting net 9 per cent planning staff additions is down five points from the previous quarter but indicates continued hiring. More than seven in 10 (72 per cent) hiring executives anticipate no changes to their staffing levels.

Eighty-two per cent of executives reported they are somewhat or very confident in their companies' growth prospects in the second quarter. In addition, more than one third (36 per cent) indicated they are having difficulty finding skilled employees today.

The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 Canadian-based C-level executives and other leaders in a variety of fields, who are asked about their hiring plans and general level of optimism for the upcoming quarter. Survey respondents include more than 270 chief financial officers (CFOs); 270 chief information officers (CIOs); 150 senior human resources managers; 75 lawyers at law firms and 75 corporate lawyers; and 50 advertising executives and 200 marketing executives, all of whom have hiring authority. The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is the first quarterly executive survey of its size and scope to concentrate exclusively on professional-level hiring.

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    Key Findings

    -  Seventeen per cent of executives anticipate bringing in additional
       staff, and 8 per cent expect personnel reductions. Seventy-two per
       cent of respondents project no changes to the size of their full-time,
       professional-level teams in the second quarter.

    -  Eight out of 10 (82 per cent) executives expressed confidence about
       growth at their firms during the quarter.

    -  Thirty-six per cent of those surveyed reported recruiting challenges.

    -  The legal and marketing fields are expected to see the strongest
       hiring activity, with a net 37 per cent and a net 22 per cent of
       executives, respectively, planning to increase staff levels.

    -  Respondents in the transportation sector are most likely to make staff
       additions in the second quarter; a net 21 per cent said they
       anticipate hiring.


                     Hiring Expectations: By Profession

                                      Increase    Decrease    Net Increase
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total                                17%         8%            9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Accounting and finance               20%        11%            9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Advertising and marketing            26%         4%           22%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Human resources                       7%         7%            0%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Information technology (IT)          18%         3%           15%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Legal                                38%         1%           37%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sales and business development       22%         6%           16%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >>

"Companies continue to seek experienced professionals to support their ongoing business needs and guide growth," said Lara Dodo, a Canadian regional vice-president of Robert Half. "Some firms are making strategic hires to fill personnel gaps -- particularly in the legal and marketing fields -- while others are taking a variable approach to staffing by supplementing full-time teams with temporary or project professionals."

Professional-Level Hiring -- By Industry

Second-quarter professional-level hiring is anticipated to be strongest in the transportation sector, where a net 21 per cent of respondents said they expect to make staff additions. This was followed by a net 17 per cent of executives in the wholesale industry who indicated they will hire during the upcoming quarter.

Professional-Level Hiring -- By Field

The legal profession topped the survey in anticipated hiring, with a net 37 per cent of lawyers planning to add staff. A net 22 per cent of executives in advertising and marketing indicated they would hire during the second quarter.

In addition, the legal and marketing fields both reported the greatest difficulty finding skilled professionals, as cited by 76 per cent and 52 per cent of executives, respectively.

About Robert Half International

Founded in 1948, Robert Half International, the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, is a recognized leader in professional staffing services. The company's specialized staffing divisions include Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled administrative support personnel; Robert Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for legal personnel; and The Creative Group, for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Robert Half International has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide. Find more information at http://www.roberthalf.ca, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalf_CAN.

Nadia Santoli, [phone], [email protected]