Experis Finds Talent Shortage in Accounting and Finance

Professional workforce provider Experis said it has found a talent shortage in a number of industries, including accounting and finance.

Experis is part of staffing giant ManpowerGroup and recently changed its name from Jefferson Wells (see Jefferson Wells Becomes Experis).  The new name emphasizes the experts and experience on the company’s staff and among its contractors. In its new Talent Shortage Survey, Experis discovered that finding well-qualified accounting and finance staff is one of the top 10 hiring challenges that employers face, ranking number five in its survey of top 10 toughest positions to fill in the U.S. 

Accounting and finance roles have appeared on the top 10 list in 2006, 2007 and 2008, raising fears of an employability crisis. The most common reasons why employers say they are having trouble filling jobs include candidates who are looking for more pay than is offered, a lack of technical skills, and a lack of experience.

However, accounting and finance aren’t the only occupations where it’s difficult for employers to fill jobs.

“One of the things that popped out of the survey was that the top three that are hardest to fill are accounting and finance staff, engineering and IT,” said Experis senior vice president and general manager Mike Barker. “All three of those professional skilled verticals fell into the hardest jobs to fill.”

He insisted that was the case despite high unemployment levels. “If you look at the e unemployment figures, it’s a bit deceiving,” said Barker. “We have high unemployment, but in a lot of the skilled areas, unemployment is low. The employers are getting more and more specific about the skills they need. You may have someone on a general accounting position, but in a recession, many companies are doing more with a lot less. “Some of the people who used to be in these jobs now need to do three or more things, so I’m getting more efficiency out of the person.”

Experis has roughly 11,300 consultants on staff, Barker noted, including both staff and contractors. In the tax and accounting area, the company has about 1,500 people.