According to a third-quarter report from Robert Half, a national staffing agency that has a local office, the majority of executives who responded to a hiring survey said they don't plan to add employees anytime soon.
Eighty-eight percent of executives don't have plans to make changes to their full-time professional staff. Five percent said they anticipate bringing on additional staff, and another 5 percent said they plan on making reductions.
According to the latest numbers, Chattanooga's unemployment rate increased from 7.1 percent in April to 7.4 in May. And the state's rate rose from a revised rate of 7.9 in May to 8.1 in June.
Despite increased unemployment, some business leaders are still having trouble finding ideal candidates, according to the report.
Sixty-nine percent of all respondents said they find it somewhat or very challenging to find skilled professionals.
That's up eight points from the previous quarter.
In accounting and finance, positions in top demand include financial analysts, accountants and business system analysts.
In the technology industry, database developers, network administrators and Web developers are in high demand.
In advertising and marketing, executives are looking for social media specialists, account managers and Web designers.
And the legal field is expected to see the strongest hiring activity, with a net 30 percent of lawyers planning to add staff in the third quarter.
General business, commercial law, labor, and employment and litigation are areas of practice in high demand, also according to the report.
Advertising and marketing leaders are also likely to increase staffing levels, according to the report.
