The Brilliant Q4 2014 accounting, finance and IT Hiring Forecast reported open positions and robust plans for increased hiring of accounting, finance and IT professionals in Q4 2014, both permanent and temporary.
The survey was conducted by Brilliant, a search, staffing and management resources firm specializing in the accounting, finance and information technology professions. Brilliant partnered with Dr. Richard Curtin, a professor and director of surveys at the University of Michigan.
Roughly 250 respondents took part on the survey, which looked at hiring trends and economic health of proprietary entities scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2014.
“One in three companies surveyed plan to increase the overall size of their accounting, finance and IT departments,” Dr. Curtin said in a statement. “And, a significant number of them anticipated hiring more temporary, temp-to-hire and contract employees in the year ahead.”
Brilliant's CEO James Wong noted, “The trend continues of more demand for accounting, finance and IT professionals than available qualified applicants. Quarter over quarter, we’ve seen this trend emerging. We can deduce that these employees are in the driver’s seat, having their choice for where to pursue their careers.”
Growing Economic Strength
Fifty-four percent of those surveyed reported that the overall economic situation of their companies had improved during the past year. In Q3 2014 the forecast numbers came in at 43 percent and higher than the same time last year at 32 percent.
An Increase in Hiring Planned
Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said that they plan to increase the hiring of accounting and finance professionals. Only 3 percent planned to decrease the hiring of accounting/finance professionals (down from 9 percent last quarter).
An Outlook on Temporary Roles
Survey respondents reported plans to increase their hiring of temporary accounting/finance employees by 16 percent and temporary IT professionals by 18 percent.
Social Media Effectiveness
While 60 percent of the businesses surveyed used social media as a recruitment tool for accounting/finance and 54 percent for IT, all cited LinkedIn as the most effective social platform.
To read the Q4 2014 Hiring Forecast in its entirety, download it
