Now that the economy is stronger, increased business confidence is driving investment in new projects, which is increasing the workloads of current employees, according to the latest Financial Employment Report from Robert Half.

The survey of 1,678 finance, accounting and banking professionals found that 88% of employers are confident in their company's growth prospects in the next 12 months, and this is being felt by employees, with two thirds (66%) reporting that their workload has increased compared to this time last year.

The survey found that in the majority of cases (43%), workloads have increased because a company has experienced growth but staffing levels have stayed the same, whilst nearly a third (29%) of employees report that their workload has increased because their company is investing in new projects, and over a quarter (27%) attribute it to the fact that business is picking up.

"It is great to see so much optimism and business growth in the market. However, if employers are taking on new projects and planning for growth, it is crucial that they pay close attention to their staff levels, to ensure that they have adequate resources in place," said Andrew Brushfield, director at Robert Half.

The survey found that a net 10% of employers plan to add to their permanent head count over the next six months. Of those employers looking to hire, nearly two thirds (64%) are recruiting finance, accounting and banking staff at an entry or junior level, whilst nearly half (48%) are looking to hire middle level staff, and 8% are looking to hire at a senior level.

"Given that business confidence is so high, companies need to make sure that they are ready for growth, and recruitment planning is a big part of this. More than half (53%) of finance, accounting and banking employers tell us that it is currently taking them over six weeks to fill mid-level positions, so employers also need to pre-empt future growth to ensure they are not caught short," advised Brushfield.

As well as increasing recruitment in line with business growth, it is imperative that companies manage the workloads of their existing employees to ensure that they are not overstretched - particularly as over three quarters (76%) of employees say that work/life balance is one of the most important factors in their work environment.

"Ensuring that employees are not overstretched is important for a company's bottom line. If employees don't have the time or resources to do their job properly, it affects the quality of work, which can have big implications for a business' productivity and reputation," said Brushfield.