Executive recruiters' confidence in the executive employment market reached a 22-month high in April, with 64 percent of 186 search firm respondents expecting more senior-management hiring over the next six months, according to ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index data.
ExecuNet's April recruiter confidence register reached 64 percent, matching the tally recorded in June 2008. The confidence level was more pronounced among retained executive search consultants, indicating an increasing number of employers are investing in or expected to soon commit to strategic executive hires as the economy improves.
Introduced in May 2003, ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index is based on a monthly survey of executive search firms and recognized as a leading indicator for the economy and the executive job market. A reading above 50 percent indicates recruiters are "confident" or "very confident" the number of executive search assignments launched by employers in the next six months will increase.
"Recruiters are clearly expecting companies to increase management hiring in the second and third quarters, and with a variety of economic indices reflecting economic growth, the positives are starting to overwhelm the negatives," says Mark Anderson, president and chief economist of ExecuNet, the private membership network for senior business executives and those who recruit them.
"The economic recovery isn't yet broad-based, but the confidence expressed by executive recruiters should signal to management job seekers that while some clouds remain, we're seeing evidence of sunlight after the storm."
Founded in 1988, ExecuNet brings C-level executives together online and in face-to-face meetings to discuss business challenges, solutions and opportunities, and share job leads.
A recognized authority in executive recruiting and human capital, ExecuNet also provides members access to confidential six-figure jobs listings, proprietary research, and pragmatic advice. ExecuNet is a private membership network for business leaders and recruiters who believe that the right connections can produce extraordinary results in their careers and for their organizations.
ExecuNet is recognized as the Internet's most comprehensive resource for effective career management, exclusively for executives and senior-level managers with salaries above $100,000.
