Almost 40 percent of Chief Financial Officers (CFO) say that employee retention is their number one staffing concern for the next 12 months, according to an April 2013 survey developed by executive staffing firm Robert Half.
"Professionals with specialized skills have more opportunities available to them, which has led to talent shortages in some areas and made replacing valuable employees even more difficult," said Robert Half senior executive director Paul McDonald. "Employers will need to pull out all the stops to retain their best and brightest."
The survey showed worker retention was more highly valued than maintaining productivity, which was the top concern of 27 percent of respondents. Recruitment and improving staff morale both represented the top staffing concern for 13 percent of CFOs.
Retaining employees may prove to be a difficult task. A poll by USA television that revealed the vast majority of Americans are unsatisfied with their jobs. Among poll participants, 79 percent said their job does not reflect their career passions, 86 percent said they work solely to pay bills and 63 percent admitted they would seek a different job if money were not a factor.