Finance and treasury staffers are still in demand, with a recent survey by Robert Half showing that 62% of finance executives at large companies think their finance departments are understaffed.

"The hiring market has really remained very competitive for a sustained period of time," said Tim Hird, executive director at Robert Half Management Resources. "The overriding trend is that organizations of all sizes and all industries are experiencing talent shortages, and that's resulting in recruitment and retention challenges."

Some of the demand in the finance sector reflects companies' growing need for "more specialized and niche skills" over the last five to seven years, Hird said, with some of that stemming from companies' need to comply with new regulations and some from the growing reliance on technology.