Survey: Exec Hiring Cools in 2003

According to a survey by recruiter Management Recruiters International, 37.2% of the 536 executives surveyed plan to boost their staff during the second half of 2003, down by 8% from the first half of 2003. Another 55.1% plan to maintain their current staff sizes, up by 6.2% and 7.9% anticipate cutting their staff, up by 2%.

The number of hiring executives may have dropped during 2003, but the responding executives don’t appear to have lost their optimism. More than six out of 10 (65.2%) said they look for a lasting turnaround within six months to a year. Their responses were based upon their observations of current conditions in their industries.

Although plans to hire vary greatly among industry sectors, a number of industries indicate plans to hire above the national average:

• Consumer goods, 55.6%
• Pharmaceuticals, 50%
• Engineering, 40.5%
• Finance, 40%
• Healthcare, 36.6%
• Manufacturing, 36.6%