ExecuNetís 16th Annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report

Increasing demand in the High Tech, Healthcare, Energy, and Business Services sectors combined with a shortage of qualified talent and sustained economic growth overseas is driving better than expected job growth at the executive level according to ExecuNetís 2008 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report released today.

Published annually for the past sixteen years by ExecuNet, an exclusive membership network of business leaders, the Executive Job Market Intelligence Report is designed to provide corporate leaders, executive recruiters, and human resource professionals with proprietary market intelligence on key trends and developments affecting the corporate leadership employment market.

ìJob growth at the executive level is not moving in lock-step with the rest of the employment market,î says Mark Anderson, President and Chief Economist at ExecuNet. ìThanks in part to an aging workforce and global economic growth, the demand for executive talent continues to increase while the threat of a recession looms.î

According to the report, despite evidence that the economy could continue to shed temporary and entry-level jobs, recruiting and retaining executive-level talent will remain a challenging priority for companies in 2008. Following a healthy 24% increase in search assignments in 2007, more than 70% of search firm and corporate human resource professionals believe there is a shortage of executive talent, and two-thirds (67%) say the war for executive talent has intensified over the last year amid increasing economic uncertainty.

ìUnfortunately, many of the opportunities created this year will remain out of reach to those who fail to read beyond the headlines,î says Dave Opton, CEO and Founder of ExecuNet. ìHowever, given the current pace of change, the consequences of ignoring opportunities to enhance your network and failing to closely monitor the marketplace are clearly rising.î

Based on a simultaneous survey of 4,349 executives and 718 search firm consultants and corporate human resource professionals, and analysis from ExecuNet, this yearís report was produced in partnership with Goldjobs, Financial Executives International (FEI), Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), and Dillistone Systems/Filefinder.

Highlights From The 2008 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report:

Employment Market Outlook
Executive recruiters expect search assignments to climb 17% in 2008, while corporate recruiters are forecasting a 10% increase in executive-level job opportunities at their companies.

The industries expected to generate the most executive job growth in 2008 include: High Tech, Healthcare, Business Services, Pharmaceuticals/Biotech, and Energy/Utilities.

Job Satisfaction
Approximately 60% of all employed executives report they are satisfied with their current jobs. However, for the 40% who are not, boredom and a lack of advancement are the most cited sources for their discontent.

Just 12% of executives pointed toward compensation as the reason why theyíre looking to leave their current company.

Executive Compensation
Total executive compensation increased 5.7% in 2007 and is expected to grow another 6.2% in 2008.

Despite increasing shareholder scrutiny, approximately half (51%) of all executive compensation packages negotiated in the past 12 months featured perks, including company cars, club memberships, housing, and favorable loans ñ up from 38% in 2006.

Technology
Nearly all (86%) corporate human resource executives and 61% of search firms report that they do not routinely post positions with a total compensation of $200,000 and above on public websites.

A staggering 74% of executives believe their resume probably never reaches the decision maker when submitted electronically through a company website, and 72% agree or are unsure that most positions listed on online job boards are phony or already filled.

Age Discrimination
Despite an average age of just 49, 44% of executives expect that their age will negatively affect their ability to land their next position.

Recruiters donít deny that age can be an issue, but 71% of search consultants say their clients are less focused on age than they were in prior years; and 57% of corporate HR executives say that when over 50, the candidateís age is not a negative factor in hiring decisions.

For more information on these topics and others including executive tenure trends, the fastest growing functions, and most effective job search strategies, a free summary of the 2008 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report is available at www.execunet.com/marketreport.

For more detail on candidate sourcing, compensation packages, and the market outlook, recruiters can access a talent market summary at www.execunet.com/TalentMarketReport.