Search Firms Anticipating 19 Percent Jump in Assignments

January 4, 2010 – ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index increased in December as the outlook for the executive employment market and the recruiting industry continued to brighten amid signs the economy is rebounding. Executive recruiting firms now expect a 19 percent increase in management search assignments from corporate clients, the highest since early 2008, and are adding staff in anticipation of the growth. According to December's survey of 153 executive recruiters, 54 percent are confident or very confident the executive employment market will improve during the next six months – up from 50 percent in November. In addition to forecasting a double-digit increase in assignment growth in the year ahead, 21 percent of all search firms are planning to add professional staff in the first quarter of 2010. “All of this bodes well for executive job seekers and for those employed business leaders who may have deferred searching for new career opportunities in the last 12 to 18 months,” said Mark Anderson, president and chief economist of ExecuNet. “The anticipated increase in search activity shows companies have started to expand their workforces after a long period of cutbacks.”