Productivity is rising even as hours worked fluctuate, a shift that has direct implications for hiring, as teams are often asked to do more without additional staff. In Q4 2025, U.S. nonfarm business productivity increased 2.8% while hours worked declined 0.2% — a situation that pressures teams to deliver more with the same people and tools.
The market increasingly rewards professionals who deliver measurable, verifiable results. Hiring for an impressive resume and trusting the promise of potential is no longer producing meaningful impact, particularly in finance. Leaders who recruit for proven capabilities, particularly artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled execution plus tight control literacy, are sustaining both speed and value.
The Signals Financial Leaders Can’t Ignore
This productivity shift is an important talent signal. As organizations deliver more output with fewer labor inputs, the profile of who creates value is changing.
Output Is Climbing Faster Than Hours
Recent analysis from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that across most major industries, output growth by organizations is being driven by efficiency gains through smarter processes and automation rather than expanded headcount.
Foundational Blockers Persist
At the same time, structural challenges remain. In Cherry Bekaert’s 2025 Middle Market CFO survey, 55% of leaders cited data validity/consistency, and 48% cited integration complexity as top hurdles, with 84% planning to focus on integration and data quality this year. Nearly half also reported forecasting is the area most constrained by poor data, and manual workarounds still dominate close, audit preparation and budgeting.
When combined, these signals point to a clear reality: finance teams are being asked to operate faster and more accurately on increasingly fragile data foundations without the luxury of adding headcount. So, as executive leaders and CFOs rethink how they hire for productivity, many are turning to advisory-led recruiting models that prioritize outcomes over credentials.
Why the Hiring Market’s Old Playbook Is Broken and What’s Really Being Rewarded
Under these conditions, traditional hiring assumptions begin to break down. For years — particularly in finance — hiring focused on titles, impressive resumes and software experience. But today, that playbook is outdated.
What the market now rewards are finance professionals who can demonstrate impact across four dimensions:
- AI-enabled Finance Operations With Control Discipline: The highest value contributors are decreasing manual touches in reconciliations and accounts payable (AP)/accounts receivable (AR) matching without jeopardizing audit trails. They show before and after results (e.g., days to close, error rate reduction) instead of listing tools.
- Forecasting Under Constraint: Operators who have improved forecast accuracy with governed inputs, lightweight scenario guardrails and pragmatic automation are in demand.
- Cash by Design: Talent that treats days sales outstanding (DSO), days payable outstanding (DPO) and days on hand/inventory (DOH) as design constraints and ties them to recognition rules and inventory signals continues to move the needle first.
- Translators Across Functions: The most effective hires “speak finance” and “speak tech,” and can move AP, sales operations, and information technology (IT) in the same conversation to land change. Market commentary also shows a rising need for AI engineering and implementation blended with stakeholder relations.
From Cherry Bekaert’s vantage point across finance, technology and risk engagements, a consistent pattern to hiring talent in 2026 has emerged.
Finance and Accounting Skills Matrix: Proof vs. Promise
Rewarded Capabilities (Proof):
|
Outdated Capabilities (Promise):
|
Cherry Bekaert Case Study: Advisory-led Recruiting Stabilizes Finance During a Leadership Gap
A global consumer products and brand merchandising agency faced a sudden leadership gap during a crucial time. Cherry Bekaert’s Recruiting & Staffing team delivered immediate interim support and then a permanent controller. Our professionals scoped the role around outcomes, such as continuity, growth alignment, and control integrity, rather than a generic job description or credential checklist.
This approach resulted in stability through year-end and a long-term fit matched to the organization’s operating reality.
What Finance Leaders Should Ask of Any Candidate Shortlist: Example Interview Questions
The lesson for finance leaders is clear: outcomes‑based hiring changes not just who you select, but how you evaluate candidates from the start. The table below illustrates what leaders should ask candidates during interviews.
| What To Ask | How To Ask | What To Listen For |
| Show the Delta |
|
Quantified impact such as faster close (-2 days), improved DSO (-5) or fewer exceptions (-30%), etc. |
| Show the Method |
|
Use of governed inputs, documented processes and clear evidence trails that support audit readiness. |
| Show the Adoption |
|
Ability to translate across functions and build stakeholder alignment to drive adoption. |
In a market where output scales faster than hiring, the advantage goes to teams that recruit for capabilities with evidence. Furthermore, as nearly two-thirds of CFOs actively automate processes to boost efficiency or transform operations for future alignment, according to our survey, new hires need AI-enabled execution and human skills that keep controls, trust and adoption intact.
Your Guide Forward To Hiring Talent That Performs
When productivity must rise faster than headcount, Cherry Bekaert’s Recruiting & Staffing Services help finance leaders hire differently by defining roles around measurable outcomes, not generic credentials.
From interim finance leadership to permanent controllership and FP&A talent, our advisory‑led approach aligns finance professionals to your operating reality, control requirements and growth objectives so new hires create impact faster and with confidence.
