Search jobs now Find the right job type for you Create a job alert Explore how we help job seekers Contract talent Permanent talent Learn how we work with you Executive search Finance and Accounting Technology Marketing and Creative Legal Administrative and Customer Support Technology Risk, Audit and Compliance Finance and Accounting Digital, Marketing and Customer Experience Legal Operations Human Resources 2026 Salary Guide Demand for Skilled Talent Report Job Market Outlook Press Room Tech insights Labor market overview AI in recruiting Navigating the AI era Staffing for small businesses Cost of a bad hire Browse jobs Find your next hire Our locations

Adapting to workforce trends: What finance leaders need to know

Finance and accounting Thought Leadership Management tips Management and Leadership Article Costly hiring mistakes
By Steve Saah, Executive Director of Finance and Accounting Permanent Placement, Robert Half Most finance leaders are not struggling to justify hiring right now. They are struggling to get it right. Roles are staying open longer. Hiring decisions carry more weight. And even when strong candidates emerge, evaluating and securing them has become more complex. Hiring has not slowed down. But the consequences of a bad hire are costly—and they show up quickly in missed deadlines, heavier workloads and more strain on the team. You can see that shift in how finance leaders are approaching hiring decisions today, as hiring trends continue to evolve. Robert Half research reflects the broader context. 83% of finance leaders are confident in their business strategy outlook for 2026, and organizations are planning to increase both permanent and contract hiring in the first half of the year. At the same time, 61% say it is harder to find skilled professionals than it was a year ago. This is leading to increased competition for specialized talent as organizations plan for the rest of 2026. It is also forcing leaders to be more precise about the roles they need to fill, the skills required to succeed and how they evaluate candidates throughout the hiring process. These were among the hiring challenges finance leaders discussed during a recent roundtable discussion at the 2026 AFP FP&A Forum in Indianapolis, where leaders described the same shift playing out across their organizations. Learn more about how the accounting talent shortage is shaping hiring strategies in 2026.

Workforce dynamics are changing access to talent

Finance teams are being asked to do more. In many organizations, the function now plays a larger role in forecasting, planning and supporting business strategy. That work requires a different mix of skills and often more experienced professionals. At the same time, access to that talent is becoming more limited. Experienced professionals continue to exit the workforce, and the pipeline behind them is not keeping pace with that experience. By 2030, every Baby Boomer will be over age 65, and roughly 10,000 workers are reaching retirement age each day. Unemployment for finance roles remains low, which further narrows the pool. The market reflects current workforce dynamics: demand is steady, but available talent is constrained. This is not a volume issue. It is about quality and fit. Finding candidates is no longer the problem. Finding people who can deliver is. “The goal is not to replace ‘skill for skill’ but to think about where the company is going and hire for the behaviors, learning capacity and complementary skills that raise the performance of the entire team,” said Bryan Lapidus, FPAC, Director of FP&A Practice, Association for Financial Professionals. When the talent gap is not addressed early, the impact shows up in day-to-day operations. Teams take on more work, timelines become harder to manage and the quality of output can start to suffer. When hiring misses the mark, the impact shows up across the finance team, in the strength of the talent and the depth of the bench.

The hiring process is getting harder to evaluate, not just harder to fill

It is not just that roles are harder to fill. It is that candidates are harder to assess. AI tools are now a common part of the application process. They can help candidates present their experience more clearly, but they can also introduce risks associated with AI-generated resumes, including skills misrepresentation and an increase in fake profiles entering the hiring pipeline.  Gartner estimates that 1 in 4 candidate profiles worldwide could be fake by 2028. That does not mean every candidate is misrepresenting themselves. But it does mean finance leaders need to be more deliberate in how they evaluate talent and address growing skills gaps across their teams. “Our members value critical thinking, so they often ask challenging, open-ended questions during the interview process to see how candidates dissect a problem and approach an answer. They are looking for collaborators and communicators who can speak to their finance acumen,” said Lapidus. More organizations are taking steps to verify experience, assess technical ability and understand how candidates approach real business problems. The goal is not to slow the process down. It is to make better decisions within it. 

Hiring strategies are evolving to support flexibility and talent needs

Even well-staffed teams face periods where demand increases quickly. Close cycles, audits, system changes and project work can all create spikes that stretch capacity. Several leaders in the roundtable described the same pattern. By the time they revisit staffing, the gap is already affecting how the team operates. That is why more organizations are adjusting their hiring strategies and building flexibility into how they manage talent resources. A blended model that includes both permanent staff and contract professionals allows teams to adjust more quickly, with many organizations turning to contract talent strategies to provide support during peak periods and access specialized skills when needed. It also helps protect the capacity of core teams. As we have seen across finance organizations, using contract talent in a targeted way can help maintain productivity and support more effective workforce planning.

Retaining talent is becoming a more immediate priority

Retention came up consistently in the roundtable discussion, often as a bigger concern than hiring itself, with many leaders focused on preventing talent loss during busy cycles. Nearly 4 in 10 professionals say they plan to look for a new job in the first half of 2026. That decision is driven by a combination of compensation, flexibility and long-term growth opportunity, along with access to perks and benefits that better support their needs. This is why ongoing communication is critical when organizations are working to retain talent and retain top talent. Most turnover does not start with a resignation. It starts with disengagement. Leaders who are staying ahead of turnover are not waiting for formal review cycles. They are using regular check-ins to understand workload, clarify priorities and talk about development. They are also recognizing contributions and connecting individual work to broader team goals as part of their approach to retaining talent and supporting their current staff. “To retain talent, leaders need situational awareness and the ability to adapt their leadership style to the team's maturity and needs. For example, do they need to be a ‘supervisor’ who directs the action, a ‘manager’ who communicates goals and solicits feedback or an ‘inspirational figure’ who stimulates action?” said Lapidus. By the time someone decides to leave, the real decision was made weeks or months earlier.

How finance leaders are adjusting hiring strategies and talent pipelines

Across the discussion, leaders seeing the most progress were not doing entirely new things. They were applying familiar strategies earlier and with more discipline. The difference is not what leaders are doing. It is how early they are doing it. Finance leaders are: Defining roles based on current business needs Aligning compensation with market expectations Offering flexibility in how work gets done Moving more quickly through the hiring process to hire top talent Building stronger talent pipelines in advance of open roles What stands out is the timing. The most effective teams are not reacting to gaps. They are planning ahead of them and refining their hiring strategies to stay competitive. “Candidates at all levels are looking for a workplace, not a task list. Employers need to define their value proposition by highlighting the company’s purpose and the role’s potential for impact, alongside opportunities for collaboration, professional growth and modern tools to get the job done,” said Lapidus.  

Workforce planning requires a more deliberate approach to building teams

Hiring is not slowing down. But it is becoming more selective. Finance leaders are taking a closer look at the skills they need, how they structure their teams and how they support the people already in place as they navigate shifting hiring trends and evolving workforce challenges. In this environment, hiring carries more weight, along with how leaders approach retention, development and flexibility. Because in a market where skilled talent is harder to access, the strength of your team will define what your business can do next.   Follow Steve Saah on LinkedIn.
Browse Jobs Contract Talent Permanent Talent Consulting Solutions Finance & Accounting Technology Marketing & Creative Legal Administrative & Customer Support Discover Insights Invoice Job Directory Salary Guide Time Reports Create a job alert Contact Us About Robert Half Leadership Careers With Us Locations Investor Center Press Our Brands Supplier Relations Fraud Alert Government Notice Privacy Notice Terms of Use Robert Half Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.   Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Australia - English Belgium - English Belgium - Nederlands Belgium - Français Brazil - Português Canada - English Canada - Français Chile - Español China - English China - 中文 France - Français Germany - Deutsch Hong Kong, China - English Ireland - English Italy - Italian Japan - English Japan - 日本語 Luxembourg - English Luxembourg - Français Netherlands - English Netherlands - Nederlands New Zealand - English Singapore - English Switzerland - Deutsch Switzerland - English Switzerland - Français United Arab Emirates - English United Kingdom - English United States - English