Executive Recruiting Remains Steady Across Many U.S. Industries, According to Lucas Group Report
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) November 14, 2008 – Lucas Group (http://www.lucasgroup.com), a respected leader in professional recruiting, today released the U.S. Trends in Professional Hiring Report: 2008. The report, based on an analysis of thousands of candidate placements in a wide range of industries throughout Lucas Group’s fiscal year – October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008 - highlights that while the U.S. is facing a period of reduced economic activity, hiring on an executive level remains steady in a number of markets, including Construction, Manufacturing and Engineering, Information Technology (IT) and Advertising and Marketing.
“While the recent economic downturn is weighing on the minds of employers, many are still anxious to fill executive-level positions with the top talent that can help them weather the storm,” said Art Lucas, President and CEO of Lucas Group. “We’ve been encouraged by seeing that professional hiring in a number of industry sectors is holding steady as organizations are keen to keep an ‘A-team’ in-tact. The ongoing level of work our recruiters are experiencing, despite economic woes points to the fact that while employers are being more cautious about their hiring decisions, there is still a continued demand for top talent.”
Hiring Activity by Industry
Lucas Group delivers executive-level candidates to companies representing a broad range of industries and markets, including Accounting and Finance, Advertising and Marketing, Real Estate and Construction, Aerospace and Defense, Legal, Manufacturing and Engineering, and Information Technology. For the company’s 2008 fiscal year, professional hiring remained consistent in a number of market areas, including:
Manufacturing and Engineering
In 2008, professional employment in the Manufacturing and Engineering (http://www.lucasgroup.com/manufacturing/index.asp) industry was responsible for the majority of candidates placed by Lucas Group, accounting for 30% of all placements during the year. Executive-level employment included professionals hired in the areas of technical research, development and operations and supply chain, in industries such as steel, moving, storage and third-party logistics.
Construction
The Construction industry is a fast-paced industry that faces continual challenges in recruiting and retaining top talent. Despite economic pressures, this market (http://www.lucasgroup.com/construction/index.asp) was responsible for 14% of Lucas Group’s overall recruiting in 2008 with the company placing professional candidates in leading construction and property management roles.
Information Technology
Organizations across the country continued to hire executives in 2008 that possessed strengths and expertise in technical areas (http://www.lucasgroup.com/technology/index.asp). Companies looking to maintain a competitive technological advantage accounted for 9% of Lucas Group candidates placed during the year.
Advertising and Marketing
The best and brightest executives in advertising (http://www.lucasgroup.com/advertising/index.asp), direct marketing, promotions, PR and event marketing continued to secure new job opportunities in 2008, accounting for 8% of all positions placed by Lucas Group throughout the year.
Oil and Gas
Employment in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas (http://www.lucasgroup.com/expertise/other.asp#oilandgas) industry experienced growth during the year. Lucas Group placed a significant number of professionals in onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and production, exploitation and development positions. As this is a new area of focus for Lucas Group, hiring numbers were not available for the 2008 fiscal year. Information on the continued growth in the Oil and Gas industry will be included in subsequent Lucas Group reports.
Military Transitions
Another sector of Lucas Group’s business that experienced ongoing stability was its military division (http://www.lucasgroup.com/military/index.asp), which facilitates successful military transitions of NCO's (NCOs, Non-Commissioned Officers), JMO's (JMOs, Junior Military Officers), SMO's (SMOs, Senior Military Officers), and Technicians from active duty military service to civilian careers (see related release issued by Lucas Group today).
Hiring Activity by Region
In addition to providing a break-down of executive hiring trends by industry, the Lucas Group report highlights the U.S. geographic regions where professional job placement remains stable. The 2008 report cites that while overall executive hiring is down slightly from the prior year, Texas, Illinois, Colorado and Georgia have remained favorable markets for executive job placements. In Lucas Group’s fiscal year 2008, Texas accounted for 35% of all executive appointments placed by Lucas Group, while Illinois accounted for 21%, Colorado accounted for 10% and 8% of executives were placed in Georgia.
“Although the overall labor market is experiencing a momentum loss, we’re confident that employers will continue to bring in the best and the brightest to help improve efficiencies,” added Mr. Lucas. “When times get tough, companies that want to continue delivering value to the market understand the importance of hiring motivated, experienced individuals to help lead the charge.”
The next Lucas Group Trends in Professional Hiring Report will be released in January 2009 to report executive hiring trends for Lucas Group’s first fiscal quarter of 2009. To receive notification when the survey is available each quarter, interested individuals are invited to email Samantha Bontrager, Director of Marketing, at sbontrager @ lucasgroup.com.
About the Trends in Professional Hiring Report
The Lucas Group Trends in Professional Hiring Report is based on thousands of executive-level employees placed by the company in the U.S. throughout Lucas Group’s fiscal year – October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008. Following this initial report, Lucas Group will release professional hiring information on a quarterly basis to measure ongoing trends in executive job placements across the country.
For more information, visit the Press Room on the Lucas Group website at www.lucasgroup.com, or contact Samantha Bontrager, Director of Marketing, at sbontrager @ lucasgroup.com.
About Lucas Group
Lucas Group is one of the nation’s largest executive recruitment firms that built a reputation for successfully providing human capital placements in multiple markets and industries. The search firm has increased its reach, while maintaining a commitment to high performance and unsurpassed industry knowledge. Lucas Group focuses on recruiting top executives in management, advertising/marketing, sales, accounting, manufacturing, legal, military personnel transitioning and technical positions across all major industries. With offices nationwide and its expansion into Europe and Asia, Lucas Group performs search assignments for Fortune 100+ companies, as well as regional businesses and entrepreneurial firms.
This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company
listed above.
###
