ExecuNet: Companies ‘Cautiously’ Considering Hires

While nearly 75% of search firm recruiters report their clients significantly reduced executive hiring in the last 12 months, only 31% of corporate HR executives make the same claim.

What accounts for the difference? The split might be from companies assigning only the most difficult assignments or those too big to tackle.

An ExecuNet report says the competition for search assignments “will intensify as companies cautiously consider making additional hires” this year. Consider that:

14% of corporations are not adding new executive-level jobs; 6% are not filling open positions; and 3% are eliminating them.
However, 21% of corporations are adding new executive-level jobs, and untapped opportunity is hidden in another hiring pocket: 56% of corporations are trading up with new hires for existing executive jobs.

The Executive Job Market Intelligence 2010 is based on simultaneous surveys of ExecuNet’s executive members and the search firms and corporate recruiters who regularly use its services.