Almost 25 percent of business executives in the United States say the inability to fill jobs has had a serious impact on their operations. Unfilled jobs have forced the restructuring of staff or limited the pursuit of new projects or bids.

The AICPA Economic Outlook Survey reports that business letters list availability of skilled personnel as a challenge that is second only to inflation. The survey was conducted from February 2 through 23. There were 461 qualified responses from CPAs in positions such as CFO or controller.

 Eighty-two percent of American executives surveyed report at least some difficulty with recruitment and retention with 17 percent saying the problem represents extreme difficulty. However, that is an improvement from the year-ago fourth quarter which found 25 percent reporting extreme difficulty.

Thirty-one percent of represent mid-level staff positions have been the most difficult to fill while 25 percent find entry-level positions are the most challenging for hiring.

 The study found that although 40 percent said unfilled jobs have not had a significant impact on operations, a majority reported the following common outcomes [respondents could chose more than one answer]:                                                                                                                                                                    *Restructured staff to protect core operations, 24 percent;                                                                                                                                                               *Limited new projects or bids, 23 percent;                                                                                                                                                                                         *Delayed service expansions, 16 percent;                                                                                                                                                                                         *Slowed customer/client acquisition, 9 percent.                                                                                                                                                                               *Reduced hours of operations or work shifts, 7 percent; and                                                                                                                                                            *Closed some work locations, 3 percent.