31. 03. 2026

Finance Hiring Trends: Why Finance Roles Are Becoming Harder to Fill

Introduction

Hiring across finance roles has become increasingly nuanced.

While there is no shortage of qualified professionals in the market, certain roles — particularly across finance leadership and commercially focused positions — are consistently more difficult to fill. The challenge is not a lack of candidates, but a gap between expectations, experience, and the evolving demands of finance roles.

Finance roles are not becoming harder to fill because talent is disappearing — they are becoming harder to fill because expectations are increasing.

Businesses are not struggling to find finance professionals. They are struggling to find individuals who have operated at the level, pace, and commercial depth the role now requires.

Understanding where these hiring gaps exist is critical for organisations building finance teams, particularly where roles are becoming more commercially and strategically focused. It is equally important for finance professionals looking to position themselves effectively in the current market.

High-Demand Finance Roles Across the Function

Demand remains strong across several areas within the finance function, particularly in roles that combine technical expertise with commercial awareness.

These typically include:

Chief Financial Officers leading strategy, transformation, and investor engagement
Finance Directors supporting growth, transformation, or investment environments
Financial Controllers with strong reporting, controls, and operational oversight
Finance business partners and FP&A professionals supporting decision-making
Heads of Finance operating across multiple functions

In many cases, businesses are looking for individuals who can operate beyond the traditional scope of the role — contributing to both performance management and strategic planning.

Why Finance Hiring Gaps Are Increasing: Experience, Commercial Exposure and Role Complexity

Despite strong candidate availability, gaps begin to emerge where expectations become more specific.

Experience vs Role Requirements

Employers are increasingly seeking candidates who have:

operated at a higher level of responsibility
managed complexity within growing or changing businesses
contributed to strategic decision-making and business performance

At the same time, many finance professionals have strong technical foundations but limited exposure to these environments.

This is one of the most common reasons finance hires struggle to succeed — not a lack of capability, but limited experience operating in the type of environment the role demands.

Technical Strength vs Commercial Capability

There is a growing expectation that finance professionals can:

interpret financial data in a commercial context
challenge assumptions and influence decisions
work closely with senior stakeholders

Candidates with purely technical experience — for example in reporting-heavy or audit-focused roles — may find this transition challenging without broader commercial exposure.

This shift reflects how finance has moved closer to the centre of business decision-making, particularly in growth-focused and investor-backed organisations.

Operating Environment and Pace of Change

In faster-moving businesses, particularly those experiencing scale, transformation, or operational change, finance professionals are expected to adapt quickly.

This creates a gap where candidates may be experienced, but not within comparable environments.

Experience in stable or slower-paced organisations does not always translate directly into high-growth or complex operating models.

Why Finance Hiring Processes Stall

In many cases, finance hiring processes do not stall due to a lack of candidates, but because of misalignment.

Common factors include:

unclear or evolving role scope
expectations extending beyond traditional job descriptions
misalignment between required experience and available talent
delays in decision-making
candidates withdrawing due to competing opportunities

This often results in extended hiring timelines, even where there is initial interest on both sides.

What Makes Finance Roles Harder to Fill

Not all finance roles carry the same level of hiring difficulty.

Roles tend to be easier to fill where:

expectations are clearly defined
the role aligns with typical career progression
technical requirements are well understood

Roles become harder to fill where:

expectations extend into commercial and strategic territory
there is a need for both technical and business-facing capability
the business environment is complex, evolving, or fast-paced

As expectations increase, the pool of candidates who meet all criteria naturally becomes more limited.

What This Means for Finance Professionals

For finance professionals, current hiring trends highlight where the market is evolving.

There is increasing demand for individuals who can demonstrate:

involvement in business decision-making
impact beyond core reporting responsibilities
experience working across teams and functions
exposure to growth, change, or transformation environments

Candidates who can combine technical strength with commercial awareness — particularly across FP&A, business partnering, and finance leadership roles — are more likely to stand out.

This shift also reflects the broader evolution of the finance function, where roles are becoming more integrated with business performance, strategy, and long-term decision-making.

Conclusion

The challenge in finance hiring is not a shortage of candidates — it is a gap between expectations and experience.

As finance roles continue to evolve, this gap is likely to remain a defining feature of the market.

For businesses, this creates the need for clearer role definition, faster decision-making, and stronger alignment during the hiring process. In many cases, organisations benefit from working with a specialist finance recruitment team to navigate these challenges and identify candidates who can operate effectively within increasingly complex environments.

Harper May is a specialist finance recruitment team supporting businesses across London and the UK, with expertise across the full finance function from analysts and controllers through to Finance Directors and CFOs. We work closely with organisations to understand their hiring challenges and to support them in securing individuals who can contribute at both a technical and commercial level.