Headhunting Activity Expected to Increase in 2010

January 25, 2010 – Ninety-one per cent of executive search consultants hold a neutral to positive outlook for the executive recruiting business in 2010, showing renewed confidence as the headhunting industry gains momentum following the downturn. The 2010 Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) Member Outlook Survey totaled 268 responses from AESC executive recruiters worldwide. With 77 percent expecting revenues to increase this year and over half reporting plans to hire more consultants, the latest results show a vast improvement in optimism. “These outlook results for 2010 indicate very strongly that the executive search business, and thus the senior executive hiring market, has turned a corner,” said Peter Felix, president of the AESC. “It is indicative of a new spring in the step of top management of organizations and a realization that with a new environment decisions about the quality of executive teams are of paramount importance.” Executive search consultants worldwide predict that the healthcare/life sciences and energy/natural resources industries will see the most growth in 2010. When considering where the greatest demand for talent will appear regionally, China was ranked as most in need, followed by India. Candidates are thought to be twice as likely to consider a career move in 2010 than they were in 2009, though according to a report from Greenwich-based human capital markets researcher HSZ Media concerns about market instability and the state of the economy will be key factors hindering executive mobility in the current environment.