Direct Marketing Employment Outlook Softens, Finds Bernhart Associates Survey
Tuesday, 18 July 2006
The slowdown in the overall US economy is apparently beginning to impact hiring plans for direct marketers. Among companies responding to the July 2006 survey, 66 percent said they plan to add to staff this summer, down from 72 percent in the spring and 80 percent last fall.
“Our latest quarterly employment survey is showing about a 6 percent drop in the new hire index,” said Jerry Bernhart, president of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, which has been measuring employment trends in direct marketing for the past five years.
This downturn, Bernhart said, “is not particularly alarming, nor is it surprising when you look at the recent economic data.” He added that “most job seekers are finding opportunities out there but the job market is not quite as robust as it was a year ago.”
“We noticed a spike in demand for Internet-related skills, particularly Web designers and graphic artists. Demand for sales representatives also will be strong this quarter,” said Bernhart.
“The good news is that we’re seeing fewer layoffs,” said Bernhart, noting that only two companies out of the more than 100 that responded reported they plan to reduce headcount in the coming three months, a record low for the survey.
Bernhart said business has been brisk on the executive search side. “We’re filling positions across many direct marketing functions and at all levels. Many of the human resource managers we work with are telling us that for some positions their online job postings just aren’t producing results, so they’re looking for alternatives.”
Survey results are published in the Direct Marketing Association’s Statistical Fact Book. For more information on DMA’s 2006 Statistical Fact Book, visit http://www.the-dma.org/bookstore/cgi/displaybook?product_id=009391.
Bernhart said 118 direct marketing companies – including agencies, suppliers and end-users – participated in the survey, which was fielded via e-mail the week of July 10.