Compliments of http://www.execunet.com

Recruiters Confidence at New Record as Executive Job Growth Hits Highest
Level Since 2000

Much to the dismay of companies striving to hire top talent during this
surging employment market, the business of recruiting and retaining
executives appears poised to grow even more challenging. ExecuNet’s
Recruiters Confidence Index (RCI) reached a new all-time high in December
amid expectations that executive search assignments will increase by more
than 20% for the second consecutive year in 2007.

According to the survey of 120 executive recruiters, 83% are confident or
very confident the executive employment market will improve during the next
six months — up from 80% last month. Confidence among recruiters has never
been higher in the history of the index.

Confidence In The Executive Employment Market
Next Six Months

Executive recruiters reported a 23% increase in the number of search
assignments they received from corporate clients during 2006 — this
represents the largest increase since the height of the dot-com boom in
2000. Looking ahead, search firms are forecasting a 26% increase in
executive-level job opportunities this year.

Recruiters’ short-term outlook also improved in December, as 82% said they
are confident or very confident the employment market will improve in the
next three months — up from 77% in the previous month. This bullish
assessment of the executive employment market is well supported by the
executive search industry’s own expansion. In December, 60% of all search
firms reported plans to hire additional professional staff during the next
three months, which is considerably higher than the number of firms that
added staff during the past three months (40%).

Executive recruiters who use ExecuNet tell us that companies are
increasingly turning to them for help as it becomes more and more difficult
to find and attract the best talent.