According to a survey by recruitment consultancy Robert Half, more than eight in 10 (83 per cent) of Singapore’s Chief Financial Officers (CFO) find it difficult to get qualified finance professionals on board.  

The survey suggests that it’ll be even tougher to get qualified professionals in the coming five years. 

According to the survey, the demand for financial professionals is rising as the expansion of companies in Singapore over the past 12 months is leading to a recruitment drive for commercially-savvy financial talent who can give businesses a competitive edge.

A previous Robert Half poll in October 2018 had noted that a majority of Singapore CFOs have also hired the wrong person for the job.

The annual study was conducted in January 2019 by an independent research firm, surveying 150 CFOs in Singapore.

Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard, Managing Director of Robert Half Singapore, said digitisation, automation and AI initiatives are placing additional pressure on financial employers to recruit technologically-adept candidates.

"Combined with new regulations and the skills shortage, finance leaders are struggling to find the talent they need to face commercial challenges in 2019.”

Within this hiring climate, Imbert-Bouchard said there was particularly high demand for candidates in risk, auditing, financial and client management as financial institutions and private banks continue to expand their footprint across Asia.