Hiring Upturn Signals

A few months ago you had to really hunt for signs that the recovery was hitting the job market in a positive way. But this week, a number of indicators hit my news feeds, and others were easy to find. A good sign! Here are some highlights:

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Tech hiring is on an upswing, due to significant recovery by many key firms in the sector. Intel, AMD and Google reported substantial increases in revenue and/or profits last week, and Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are due to report next week.

CBS News is reporting this week that signs of new hiring are beginning to emerge in Healthcare, Finance and Engineering (they also mention the tech sector).

Numerous reports specifically about Wall Street indicate that job postings are up, hiring freezes are down, and overall expectations are good for that sector.

The new Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act signed by the President last month provides employers with exemptions and credits for new hiring.

An article in Fortune (CNN Money) this week reports that Warren Buffet, Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase) and Jack Welch are all confident and optimistic about the upturn.

Retail sales are up, the market is up (mostly, despite the Goldman Sachs reaction drop today), and many other indicators are turning positive. Our company (executive search firm) is busy, and I’m hopeful that all this will continue, everyone will reap the benefit of a strong recovery, very soon.

Evidence of Recovery in Staffing Plans

I’ve been writing in my company newsletter for months that I think the economic recovery will be led by a very dynamic hiring environment. Not necessarily lots of new job creation, but lots of changes and movement at the executive level. (E-mail me for a copy of my latest take on this).

Recently, other news reports and hiring experts have been echoing these thoughts. Here’s some key examples with links:

Wall Street Hiring
Google Hiring
Retailers Hiring
Hiring Guru Lou Adler on expected hiring pace in recovery (due to current dissatisfaction)
TalentRise Survey on employer expectations

The “A” players are now overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated! If all of “us” hiring experts are right, now is the time to make plans to ensure you get the people you need, before other companies grab them first.