Almost half (47%) of chief financial officers are more or slightly more confident at the economic prospects facing their companies in the next six months, according to findings from financial recruiter Robert Half.

The Robert Half CFO Confidence Index also finds that one in five (17%) of the UK’s CFOs said their companies would be looking to hire permanent accounting and finance staff over the next six months. This is a dramatic improvement from the 1% of CFOs who had plans to add accounting and finance staff this time last year.

CFOs in London are most optimistic, while most CFOs said they would recruiting for graduate and junior positions.

Phil Sheridan, managing director of Robert Half UK, says: “Our index shows that finance leaders anticipate an eventual upturn in the UK market and are planning their hiring strategies accordingly. The increase in confidence currently being felt by finance chiefs is promising for jobseekers looking for either permanent or temporary positions.”