The hiring of full-time accounting and finance professionals and information technology workers in the Los Angeles area is expected to increase in the second quarter of 2005, according to two surveys released Monday by staffing services firm Robert Half International Inc.

Ten percent of chief financial officers surveyed plan to add staff during the quarter, while 5 percent anticipate reductions in personnel, the Robert Half International Financial Hiring Index found. The 5 percent increase is up two points from the firm’s first-quarter forecast.

Another Robert Half survey, also released Monday, said that 14 percent of chief information officers in the L.A. area anticipate hiring IT professionals in the second quarter.

Sixteen percent of the CIOs surveyed said they plan to add staff during the quarter, while 2 percent expected reductions in personnel, according to the Robert Half Technology Information Technology Hiring Index and Skills Report. The 14 percent hiring increase is on par with the first-quarter forecast and is five points above the national average of 9 percent.

“With the technology sector downturn and resulting layoffs still fresh memories, companies are cautious not to expand their IT departments prematurely,” said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Firms are hiring again, but only after clearly defining their requirements and making sure there is a sustainable need for more full-time IT professionals. Many organizations are also bringing in project professionals to handle short-term initiatives and peak workloads.”

The results are based on the responses of 200 CFOs and 200 CIOs from companies in the L.A. area with 20 or more employees. The survey was developed by Robert Half International and conducted by an independent research firm.