CFOs’ ‘optimism’ about city’s economy fuel hiring surge

If you’re an accountant, investment technology expert or administrative pro seeking work in the Big Apple, you have the upper hand.

An employment firm, in a new survey, says more firms are now looking to hire financial, technology and administrative professionals in New York than six months ago.

Why?

Chief financial officers are saying they are “optimistic” about the city’s economy, according to Robert Half, a specialized staffing firm.

Half’s recent poll shows that most CFOs — some 85 percent — either plan to expand or maintain their staffs, with only 5 percent saying they expect to reduce positions. And this optimism about staffing levels, adds Half, has a ripple effect.

“Business confidence influences not only managers, but employees as well,” the Half survey said, “and this optimism leads workers who may not have have considered looking for a new opportunity previously to start a job search.”

Ninety-four percent of CFOs are “confident” in the company’s growth potential over the next six months, Half said.

CFOs are “now more likely to hire today than six months ago,” says Dawn Fay, district president for Half, “because things have just gotten too busy for them. So they must replace people from outside the firm. And in some cases, they are adding new positions.”