Only 6% of Finance Managers Have Staff for Priority Projects [US]

The Numbers Are Genuinely Bleak

Robert Half's February 2026 survey of 2,000 US hiring managers found that 6% of finance and accounting leaders have the staff they need to finish priority projects. That's not "we'd like more headcount." That's "we cannot complete the work."

Legal fared worse at 1%. Marketing and creative hit 4%. Administrative support topped the list at 12%, which tells you something about where the skills crunch hits hardest.

Sixty-two per cent of managers reported skills gaps are more pronounced than a year ago. The work isn't getting simpler, and the pipeline isn't filling.

Why Hiring Got Harder

Two-thirds of managers (65%) said hiring became more difficult because of AI-generated applications. Candidates are submitting polished CVs and work samples that don't reflect actual capability. Fifty-eight per cent reported greater difficulty identifying truly qualified candidates compared to 2025.

The CPA exam's 150-hour rule continues to shrink the pipeline. ERP implementations demand technical fluency many candidates lack. Compliance workloads are expanding. CFOs are competing for the same small pool of people who can handle management accounts, forecasting, and regulatory deadlines without hand-holding.

What Leaders Are Doing

Despite the staffing reality, 83% of managers remain confident about 2026. Forty-three per cent expect strong company growth. Sixty per cent plan permanent hires in the first half of the year. Fifty-five per cent will increase contract hiring to cover immediate gaps.

Dawn Fay, operational president at Robert Half, noted organisations are leaning into mixed staffing models: permanent hires where retention matters, contractors for agility. Fifty-seven per cent are prioritising upskilling existing staff. Twenty-six per cent are outsourcing compliance work.

Interim professionals and fractional CFOs are filling gaps where full-time hires aren't feasible. Remote roles are expanding talent pools beyond metro centres.

The optimism is notable. Whether it's justified depends on how quickly those hiring plans convert into actual bodies doing actual work. Right now, 94% of finance teams are short.