Executives Remained Concerned About The Impact Of Energy Prices and Inflation

While an increase in interview opportunities appears to have shortened the expected length of an executive job search to its lowest level in nearly two years, ExecuNetís monthly Executive Employment Outlook (EEO) survey reveals executives are growing more cautious about the job market amid record high energy prices and mixed reports on inflation.

According to the survey of 189 executives, 28% are ìconfidentî or ìvery confidentî the executive employment market will improve during the next six months ñ down from 32% in September. Half of all executives (50%) are ìsomewhat confidentî and 22% are ìnot confidentî the job market will improve during this time.

The reasons executives are concerned about the executive employmentís growth during the nest six months include:

1. Record high-energy prices (50%);
2. Inflation (21%);
3. Slow economic growth (7%);
4. Effects of recent hurricanes (4%); and
5. The housing bubble (4%).

ìContrary to some reports, the employment market is proving to be incredibly resilient in the face of adversity,î says Mark Anderson, President of ExecuNet. ìBased on what weíre seeing and hearing from executive recruiters, job growth looks strong heading into 2006.î

In October, executives looking for a new opportunity reported an average of 2.8 interviews during the past thirty days ñ up from 2.5 one month ago. The expected length of a job search was 8.7 months ñ the lowest total in eighteen months.

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.