SignalHire Finds CFO Searches Rose 55% as Accounts Payable Searches Fell 73%

Searches for four accounting leadership titles rose 90% year over year, while accounts receivable, staff accountant, and payroll searches fell.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SignalHire released an analysis of search activity for accounting and finance titles in 2026 compared with 2025. Searches for accounts payable titles fell 73.31%, while searches for CFO titles rose 54.78%.

The analysis covered more than 300 accounting and finance job titles and grouped spelling variants into common positions. Searches for four accounting leadership titles rose 90.18% combined. VP of Accounting searches rose 159.18%, Director of Accounting searches rose 153.57%, and Financial Controller searches rose 115.81%.

Accounts receivable searches fell 87.76% as a group. Staff Accountant searches fell 78.68%, and payroll-only searches fell 61.60%. Within accounts payable, AP Manager searches rose 15.79%, while AP Specialist searches fell 80.20%.

One spelling variant accounted for most of the Financial Controller increase. Searches for the plain CFO title grew, while the longer Vice President and CFO title fell 96.51%. Some of the change may reflect how users entered job titles. The figures measure search activity on SignalHire. They do not measure vacancies, hiring, pay, or layoffs.

"Companies want people who can own a process end to end and sign off on it," said Mary Tan, Head of Sales at SignalHire. "The headcount for processing is shrinking, but the demand for someone accountable for the numbers keeps growing."

Gartner’s 2025 survey found that 59% of finance leaders reported AI use in their finance function. Accounts payable automation was among the most common uses, at 37%. In Deloitte’s Q4 2025 CFO Signals survey, 49% named automation that frees staff for other work as their top finance talent priority. In the same survey, 87% expected AI to be extremely or very important to finance operations in 2026.

McKinsey found that 44% of surveyed CFOs used generative AI for more than five use cases in 2025, compared with 7% in its previous survey. Gartner forecasts that 20% of finance organizations will shift all talent-related investment to advanced digital capabilities by 2028.

The full analysis covers payroll, tax, controller, and entry-level accounting titles.

About SignalHire

SignalHire is a B2B contact-sourcing platform for recruiters, sales teams, and marketers. Its tools include a browser extension, an API, and a searchable company database. The platform covers more than 900 million professional profiles.

RUSLAN FARAKHEIEV
SignalHire Sp. z o. o.
+1 209-437-3846
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