Here is yet another reminder that job growth will continue to be slow for a period of time.

A survey by Robert Half found that an equal percentage of chief financial officers expect to boost hiring full-time accounting and finance professionals as those who plan to reduce their job ranks.

CFOs around the world are feeling good--good enough to start spending some money.

But they're going to do so carefully.

Bank of America named Bruce Thompson chief financial officer. He replaces Chuck Noski, who will become vice chairman of the banking giant.

Thompson will succeed Noski as CFO by the end of the second quarter. 

What do CFOs worry about the most?  What's their biggest challenge?

The answer: time management and keeping up with changing technology, according to a study from Robert Half Management Resources.

U.S. manufacturers are planning to boost hiring and capital expenditures this year. However, they warned they may not bring on as many people as they would like to. Why?

They are having trouble finding qualified candidates. They say there is a shortage of skilled machine operators and welders.

Manufacturers are also concerned about the increase in health insurance costs.

Chief financial officers at manufacturing companies seem a little schizophrenic these days.

On the one hand, despite daily signs of an improving economy less than a majority (45 percent) are actually forecasting expansion for their industry in 2011. What's more, this is down sharply from the 59 percent reported last year, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch's recently released 2011 CFO Outlook.

Chief Financial Officers are more optimistic than they were three months ago.

According to the latest survey of CFOs conducted by Financial Executives International (FEI) and Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, an index measuring CFO optimism for the US economy rose more than 10 points and the outlook for CFOs' own companies' also increased nearly four points.

Chief financial officers of middle-market companies are generally upbeat about the economy and their hiring plans.

Nearly half (47 percent) of the CFOs who participated in GE Capital's quarterly survey said they expect the US economy to be stable while another 37 percent said it is "improving" over the near term. This suggests little chance for a double-dip recession in the months ahead, GE Capital asserts.

CFOs at large companies are much more pessimistic than they were just three months ago.

According to yet another new survey of chief financial officer sentiment, just 47 percent said they are more optimistic about their company's prospects and 36 percent are less optimistic. Last quarter, nearly two-thirds said they were more optimistic and only 17 percent were less optimistic.

More than half of chief financial officers at smaller companies say they plan to hire additional workers in the near future.

According to the latest quarterly survey of CFOs conducted by Financial Executives International (FEI) and Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, 56.5 percent of CFOs said they plan to hire more people in the next six months. A little more than 28 percent said they have no hiring plans while the rest said it is too soon to determine.