A recent national survey indicated nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) executives anticipate no changes to the size of their teams in the next three months. Specifically in law, a net 30 percent of lawyers are planning to increase staff levels in the third quarter which actually represented the strongest growth among the professions surveyed.

Other key findings in the Robert Half Professional Employment Report include the following:

More than three-quarters (79 percent) of executives expressed confidence in the growth prospects for their firms in the next three months.

Sixty-nine percent of executives reported recruiting challenges, up eight points from the previous quarter.

Businesses in the Mid-Atlantic States anticipate hiring most actively, with a net 6 percent of executives in the region planning to add professional-level staff.

Respondents in the transportation sector are most likely to make personnel additions in the third quarter; a net 6 percent said they anticipate hiring. The transportation industry has led in hiring projections for three consecutive quarters.

The survey was based on telephone interviews with more than 4,000 U.S.-based C-level executives and other senior managers in a variety of fields who are asked about their hiring plans and general level of optimism for the upcoming quarter. Survey respondents included more than 1,400 chief financial officers (CFOs); 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs); 500 senior human resources managers; 100 lawyers at law firms and 100 corporate lawyers; and 125 advertising executives and 375 marketing executives, all of whom have hiring authority.