Direct marketing job seekers, rejoice. Your prospects remain positive, according to the latest employment survey by Owatonna, MN-based Bernhart Associates Executive Search.
“The closely followed new-hire index remains at its highs for 2005, while the percentage of companies planning cutbacks in staff has fallen to 2%, the lowest level since the survey began in 2001,” Jerry Bernhart, president of Bernhart Associates, said in a release.
Among the companies responding to the survey, 70% plan to add to staff in the third quarter compared with 66% who had planned to add staff in the second quarter. Employers said they are planning new hires across a wide range of categories including analytics, account management, copywriting, and marketing.
“Analytics has been consistently leading the way for the past year,” Bernhart said. “Tools and software are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and it takes people with technical skills to use and implement them.”