Direct Marketers Continue to See Strong Employment Gains
Wednesday, 12 April 2006
Boom times are back for the direct marketing job market with the latest employment survey pointing to continued strong hiring into the summer, according to Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, the Owatonna, MN executive search firm.
“Only two companies out of more than 150 that responded to our latest employment survey said they’re planning cutbacks, and that’s the lowest since the survey began,” said Jerry Bernhart, president of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, which has been conducting the quarterly direct marketing employment survey since 2001.
According to the survey, 72 percent of companies responding plan to add to staff in the second quarter of 2006. This is up from 70 percent during the winter quarter.
Moreover, according to the survey, 11 percent reported they plan to freeze hiring in the coming three months, up from 7 percent last quarter.
“On the executive search side, calls and e-mails are coming in practically everyday from employers with positions to fill,” said Bernhart. “We’re seeing spot shortages develop in certain job categories that are in big demand, most notably analytics.”
Bernhart said employers are looking for talent across all major job categories, with sales leading the way. “There was a significant jump in the number of companies looking for sales talent, and in fact many of the calls we’re getting on the executive search side are from sales managers who want to add to or upgrade their sales staffs.”
A total of 156 direct marketing companies including agencies, suppliers, and end-users responded to the survey, which was emailed the week of April 3.
Previous survey results can be found in the Direct Marketing Association’s Statistical Fact Book.
Companies interested in being added to the quarterly survey should send an e-mail to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-in” in the subject line.