Executive Confidence Stable In September

A recent survey conducted by ExecuNet, an executive career network, reveals executives remain cautious about the employment marketís recovery.

According to the survey of 181 executives, 24% are ìconfidentî or ìvery confidentî the executive employment market will improve in the next six months - unchanged from last month. Nineteen percent (19%) are ìnot confidentî and 57% are ìsomewhat confidentî the job market will get better during the next six months.

ìThe number of members who told us theyíve ëlandedí increased sharply this summer,î says Mark Anderson, President of ExecuNet. ìHowever, reflecting the more general economic forecasts, many executives believe we are entering a short-term soft patch in the next few months that should improve as companies focus on their needs for 2005.î

Those who describe conditions in the executive employment market over the past 30 days as ìimprovingî dropped from 35% in August to 25% in September.

Executives who are currently unemployed expect their job search will take a total of 12.9 months - up from 10.9 months in August. In the past 30 days, they had an average of 2.3 interviews - down slightly from 2.6 one month ago.

ìThere are pockets of strong growth,î Anderson said noting that two-thirds of the respondents expect they may have to relocate for their next job. ìSuccessful executives are widening their outreach and pursuing more opportunities to network locally to identify their best options.î

ExecuNet, a career management and recruiting resource center for executives and recruiters, is a recognized authority in executive career and recruiting trends. It 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.

Founded in 1988, ExecuNet also serves recruiters and corporations as a leading source of top-tier executive talent and proprietary research. For more information on ExecuNet visit www.execunet.com