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US – Q4 finance/accounting confidence rises

February 27, 2013

The Mergis Group’s third-quarter accounting and finance employee confidence index rose 5.4 points from the third quarter of 2012 to a reading of 55.8, ending a two-quarter decline.

Twenty-three percent of finance and accounting employees believe more jobs are available, a significant increase of eight percentage points from 15 percent in the third quarter.   

Fifty-three percent of finance and accounting workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, a 15 percentage-point increase from the third quarter. Only 16 percent say they are not confident that they could find a new job.

Thirty-seven percent of finance and accounting employees believe the economy is getting weaker, a slight decrease from 40 percent in the third quarter of 2012.

“Confidence among finance and accounting workers has rebounded after declining for two consecutive quarters, mirroring a projected year of growth for the industry in 2013,” said Steve McMahan, executive vice president of Randstad US, Professionals. “While the profession has been met by several challenges over the past four years, as have many sectors, it appears that the start of the New Year will bring about positive momentum for the industry. The continued bounce back of the housing market is fueling growth opportunities, particularly for mortgage underwriters and loan documentation specialists to help manage the increased workloads.”

Harris Interactive conducted the online survey within the United States on behalf of The Mergis Group that included 230 respondents employed in accounting and finance.