The U.S. executive jobs market is expected to gain significant momentum in the year ahead as a new survey finds that seven out of 10 recruiters are confident of an upsurge in hiring over the next six months.
According to ExecuNet's Recruiters Confidence Index (RCI), a monthly survey of executive recruiters conducted by the leading executive job search and recruiting network, the search industry is anticipating the demand for executive talent to increase in the first half of 2006
According to the survey of 140 executive recruiters, seven out of 10 are confident or very confident that the executive employment market will improve during the next six months.
In the first six months of 2006, the executive search industry is expecting a 26 per cent increase in the number of assignments received from corporate clients – a significant increase from the 17 per cent rise in assignments reported for all of 2005.
"Having just finished its best year since 2000, the search industry is optimistic that hiring will continue to rebound sharply at the executive level," says Mark Anderson, President of ExecuNet.
"As the employment market's recovery gains steam, corporations will find themselves going head to head with rivals for the best executive talent – a competition that will quickly drive up compensation packages."
What's more, the survey found, recruiters themselves are backing their confidence with their wallets. Six out of 10 search firms have plans to hire additional professional staff in the next three months and during the past three months, more than four out of 10 have expanded their headcounts – a record high for search firm hiring.