Survey Says Detroit Area Companies Having Trouble Finding People With The Right Skills

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Although Detroit area CFOs (Chief Financial Officers) are optimistic about their companies – with 15 percent planing to add jobs in the next six months and 66 percent hiring for open roles, there’s a cloud hanging over the success of many Detroit area businesses, and that cloud is finding talent.

According to a Robert Half survey of 200 CFOs of companies with twenty or more employees, 58 percent of Detroit CFOs surveyed said it’s somewhat or very challenging to find skilled candidates for professional-level positions today. This compares to 53 percent in the previous six months.

Detroit executives (36 percent) also cited maintaining employee morale and productivity as an additional challenge when hiring and managing staff.

“More Detroit employers are feeling the effects of the intense competition for talent,” said Robin Ankton, regional vice president for Robert Half, a national staffing firm with offices in Detroit. “Hiring managers need to streamline the hiring process, moving quickly and communicating the pros of working for their company.”

Local networking groups are seeing that it’s a candidate market, too, if you have the right skills.

“We are still seeing a strong demand for specific IT skills including .NET, Java and mobile app development,” said Bob Waltenspiel, co-founder of IT in the D, an area networking group founded in 2001. “It is very much a candidate’s market and we don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”

There’s also demand in the finance sector.

“We’re seeing high demand for professionals with general ledger, large corporate tax compliance, audit and financial reporting skills, especially in the manufacturing, real estate and healthcare sectors,” said Ankton.

Eighty-nine percent of surveyed Detroit executives reported being “somewhat” or “very confident” in their company’s prospects in the next six months.

Full infographic below.

Robert Half Professional Employment Forecast provides a snapshot of Detroit hiring. (PRNewsFoto/Robert Half)

2 comments
  • Where is a great place to find some of these open positions, or find a list of the networking groups that are operating in and around the city?

  • I feel as though a large portion of the problem is that many of these companies demonstrate unwillingness to train or take on entry level professionals (especially when you list 3 years experience as a requirement for an entry level position; indicating that the individual must have co-op’d or interned with the firm). Throw a smaller salary as training pay at a college graduate with a good attitude and increase their salary as they master their trade. You’ll develop employees with the desired skills and loyalty by doing so. Internships and co-op experience are not always available to college students; especially those who may have attended later in life or while raising a family.

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