Mixed messages about business confidence follow surveys
Seventeen percent of chief financial officers in the Boston area plan to create new jobs in the next six months and 67 percent plan to hire to fill open jobs, according to survey results released Wednesday.
The Boston Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half, a specialized staffing firm based in California, also found that 61 percent of Boston-area CFOs said it is somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions.
"Special projects - along with system implementation and upgrades - are creating opportunities, especially in the healthcare, financial services and nonprofit industries," Corey Adams, regional vice president for Robert Half in Boston, said in a statement. "Employers that win over top candidates in today's market are those that offer the most competitive salary and benefits packages and don't drag out the hiring process."
The forecast results are based on interviews with 200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in the Boston area with 20 or more employees. Executives were asked about their hiring and business outlook, including plans to add employees in areas such as accounting, finance, human resources, administrative, legal, marketing and information technology.
Fourteen percent of respondents said they were freezing hiring or not filling vacated positions or creating new ones, and 2 percent said they were reducing or eliminating jobs over the next six months.
Associated Industries of Massachusetts reported Tuesday that its business confidence index had dipped for the third straight month amid reports that consumer confidence has also been weakening.
With a reading above 50 reflecting an overall positive outlook, AIM's business confidence index in August fell 1 point to 54.1, or 3 points lower than in August 2015.
"The national and state economies continue to improve, but without the kind of momentum we have seen in previous recoveries. So employers remain confident overall, but circumspect," said Raymond Torto, chair of AIM's Board of Economic Advisors and a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design, said in a statement Tuesday.
AIM President and CEO Richard Lord called on Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, the leading candidates to succeed President Barack Obama, to offer specific plans for long-term economic expansion.
"The August Business Confidence Index is really a statement that employers are seeking leadership from the state and federal governments on issues like trade, taxes and economic growth," Lord said.
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