Accounting, finance jobs take weeks to fill

The empty desk in the accounting and finance department often doesn’t get filled overnight.

Vacant accounting or finance jobs take an average of about one month to fill, according to a recent survey of 2,100 CFOs by staffing services firm Robert Half.

CFOs were asked how many weeks it typically takes to fill open staff-level and management-level positions in accounting and finance. The mean responses were four weeks for staff-level jobs and five weeks for management-level positions.

Paul McDonald, a Robert Half senior executive director, said in a news release that companies that make recruiting an ongoing priority, even when they don’t have openings, can shorten the time it takes to fill jobs.

“A pipeline of potential candidates can speed up the hiring process and prevent problems associated with being short-staffed, like burnout of key employees,” McDonald said.

Accounting and finance staff positions have ranked among the 10 most difficult jobs to fill in each of the eight years staffing firm ManpowerGroup has conducted its global Talent Shortage Survey, which polls employers worldwide.

—Ken Tysiac (ktysiac@aicpa.org) is a JofA senior editor.