Metro-area firms plan to beef up recruiting efforts in the new year, according to a new survey, despite worries about an economic downturn.
Companies see “economic concern that is very well-established,” but they realize their “most important asset is people,” regardless of a recession, said Barry Lawrence, director of public relations for Jobfox.com, which released the survey Wednesday.
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About 63.7 percent of recruiters and human-resource managers in the region plan to increase recruiting and staffing in 2008, about 27.4 percent said activity will remain the same and just 3.5 percent said their firms would decrease efforts.
But only 34.6 percent said their recruiting and staffing budgets would be higher, 48.2 percent said they would remain the same, with 6.4 noting a budget decrease for 2008.
This is still manageable for firms, because entry-level jobs can be filled “using technology wisely,” said Charley Polachi, co-founder and partner with Boston-based Polachi, a recruiting firm for executives.
Jobfox.com, which conducted the survey for the first time this year, queried 113 recruiters and human-resource managers in the metro area from a range of public- and private-sector companies. Similar surveys in three other cities yielded slightly lower results: In Boston, 60 percent said they would increase recruiting and staffing; in San Francisco, 59 percent; in Atlanta, 53 percent.
According to job search Web site HotJobs.com, the industries with the most job openings in the Washington metro area are technology, sales, retail and accounting/finance.
Advertising/public relations and real estate rank the lowest.
Some recruiters think the economy remains strong. “I don’t believe we’re headed toward recession,” said Polachi.
“Overall, the labor market remains tight, particularly for people with specialized skills and who are well-educated,” said Paul Forster, chief executive officer of job search site Indeed.com.
Unemployment was at 3.1 percent for the Washington metro area during October, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and just 2.1 percent for Fairfax County in October, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
Gerald L. Gordon, president and chief executive officer of the FCEDA, sees continued growth in the information technology and telecommunications sectors, and a continued demand for candidates with high-level security clearances.
