It takes, on average, four weeks to fill open staff-level accounting and finance jobs in the United States, according to a recent survey of chief financial officers by Robert Half Finance & Accounting. The research also found it takes an average of five weeks to hire for a management-level position in the United States.

A similar survey of Canadian CFOs found it takes an average of four weeks to fill open staff-level accounting and finance jobs and an average of nine weeks to fill a management-level position in Canada.

“To find and keep great people, companies need to make recruitment an ongoing priority, even if they are not actively looking to hire,” said Paul McDonald, Robert Half senior executive director. “A pipeline of potential candidates can speed up the hiring process and prevent problems associated with being short-staffed, like burnout of key employees.”

The U.S. survey is based on more than 2,100 interviews with CFOs from a random sample of companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. markets. The Canadian survey is based on interviews with more than 270 CFOs from a random sample of Canadian companies.