Detroit's Comeback Continues, Companies Plan To Hire

Detroit CFOs Report Third-Quarter Hiring Plans

Survey Finds Majority of Companies Optimistic About Business Growth During Quarter

DETROIT, June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Twelve percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) in the Detroit area expect to add new professional-level positions in the third quarter, according to the Detroit Professional Employment Forecast from Robert Half . Ten percent of respondents will not be hiring, even to fill an open position, and 7 percent plan to reduce staff levels. Another 70 percent said they will hire for roles that open during the next three months.

Most executives are optimistic about their business prospects for the third quarter. More than nine in 10 (93 percent) CFOs expressed confidence in their company's growth potential for the quarter, with 38 percent of respondents saying they are very confident.

The survey suggests, however, organizations looking to expand and add staff may face difficulties. The majority of the CFOs surveyed, 59 percent, said it is at least somewhat challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today.

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"With business confidence high in the Detroit area, companies will need to add people to their teams as they grow," said Robin Ankton, regional vice president for Robert Half in Detroit. "The demand for skilled, professional-level talent is strong in Southeast Michigan, and only companies that offer the most competitive compensation and benefits packages, as well as career growth opportunities, will attract and win the best candidates."

The Professional Employment Forecast was developed by Robert Half, the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, and conducted by an independent research firm. The local results reflect a two-quarter rolling average based on interviews with 200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in the Detroit area with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, "What are your company's hiring plans for full-time professional-level employees in the third quarter?" Their responses:

	Third Quarter	Second Quarter
Expanding -- adding new positions	12%	12%
Maintaining -- only filling vacated positions	70%	77%
Freezing -- not filling vacated positions or creating new ones	10%	8%
Reducing -- eliminating positions	7%	1%
Don't know/no answer	2%	2%
	101%*	100%
*Numbers do not total 100 percent due to rounding Grand Rapids, Michigan avoided the worst of the worst decade in Michigan's history. But it wasn't easy. The story of how the people of Grand Rapids are changing the way the world sees their community is told in Last Chance Mile: The Reinvention of an American Community, available in  hardcover, softcover and ebook editions by clicking here. The hiring outlook may be improving in Detroit, but that does not mean the reinvention of this American community will be easy. Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder, told an audience Monday evening the city has to "break its addiction to debt." He also said that municipal bankruptcy is an option.