Half of british bosses predict further business decline in 2009

73% know one person who has lost their job in the last four weeks

And 74% believe further job losses inevitable

As 33% agree that so far the recession has just sorted the wheat from the chaff

Leading senior executive careers site, TheLadders.co.uk finds bosses set for a year long battle in business.

The second stage of a year long study by TheLadders.co.uk into British bossesí attitudes to the economy and job market reveals 37% believe the UK wonít be out of recession until 2011 with four out of five saying further job losses are inevitable.

In the study, TheLadders.co.uk interviews 300 bosses every six months to gauge how the changing economy is shaping their attitudes to the job market. In the second stage of the study, conducted in April, the careers site found one in three bosses believe that so far, the recession has ìjust sorted the wheat from the chaffî whilst 72% cannot see any major recruitment drives for at least six months. In fact, 73% know at least one person who has been made redundant in the last four weeks.

Whereas six months ago, when the study was first conducted, 61% agreed that they would not take a pay cut to save their job, this time around the figure who would refuse a pay cut has dropped to 25%, reflecting the critical conditions that many businesses now face.

For the business leaders who are recruiting over the next six months, 46% are looking for candidates who are able to generate revenue (sales) for their business whilst just 15% say their focus for new recruits is on reducing expenditure (audit and cost control).

ìThis focus on generating business and growing the sales channel is an opportunity,î says Derek Pilcher, Managing Director of TheLadders.co.uk. ìFar from the ìcut back to the coreî mentality which sees businesses literally hibernating during periods of economic turbulence, recruiting individuals who can go out and create new opportunity has a knock-on effect across the organization. It is a positive sign in an otherwise very difficult market.î