Revenue growth and the continued rise of health care costs top the list of concerns for chief financial officers, according to a new survey.
Of the 1,400 CFOs questioned in the survey, 34% say growing revenue or
sales is their top business priority for 2005, followed by managing
expenses, 22%; recruiting and retaining qualified staff, 17%; and
gaining competitive market share, 11%.
When asked to anticipate their biggest cost increase
over the next year, 45% of CFOs cited employee health care plans. This
item was followed by technology spending, 20%; employee recruiting and
training, 11%; other employee benefits, 6%, and telecommunications and
wage increases, each at 3%.
"CFOs are ready for the prospect of growing their
business in the new year, especially after a long period of economic
and regulatory challenges," says Paul McDonald, executive director of
Robert Half Management Resources, which developed the survey.