Executive employment outlook hits fourteen-month high

Amid increasing corporate profits and slower gains in productivity, a monthly survey conducted by ExecuNet, an executive job search network, reveals executives are currently more optimistic about the employment market than they have been in over a year.

According to the survey, 65% of executives are ìconfidentî or ìvery confidentî the executive employment market will improve in the next six months - up significantly from 38% in January 2005 and surpassing the previous high of 56% in January 2004. Thirty percent (30%) are ìsomewhat confidentî and just 5% are ìnot confidentî the job market will get better during the next six months.

Those who describe conditions in the executive employment market over the past 30 days as ìimprovingî increased to 49% in February from 45% in January.

ìHaving squeezed all the productivity they can out of their existing executives, an increasing number of companies are looking to hire at this level,î says Mark Anderson, President of ExecuNet. ìExecutives are now seeing firsthand what recruiters have been talking about for months - this is a new and improved employment market for those in senior management positions.î

Among executives actively looking for a new opportunity, time spent in a job search averaged 6.5 months - down significantly from 7.6 months in January 2004.

Results are based on a nationwide survey of 100 executives conducted February 10-11, 2005.

ExecuNet, a career management and recruiting network for executives and recruiters, is a recognized authority in executive hiring and recruiting trends. ExecuNet helps members identify career opportunities and attain professional success by providing exclusive job postings, opportunities and tactics designed to expand personal and professional networks, and career advancement strategies.