Accountants in Demand

THE humble accountant is in high demand. Despite the rising ranks of the unemployed, many companies still suffer from a shortage of skilled finance and accounting staff, according to a new survey of 4,800 hiring managers by Robert Half International, a recruiting firm. Fifty-six percent of respondents reported difficulty finding appropriate candidates for finance roles, with the most acute shortages reported in Hong Kong, Brazil and Japan. When compared to an identical poll last year, some of the largest jumps in frustrated recruiters were in continental Europe, namely France, Switzerland and the Netherlands. By contrast, companies in America are finding it easiest to hire skilled financial talent, perhaps reflecting the masses of qualified candidates cut loose from the country’s stricken financial services sector in recent months.