Most mailers are not altering their second-quarter hiring plans despite the slumping economy and the domestic effect of the war in Iraq. According to Owatonna, MN-based Bernhart Associates Executive Search, 69% of the direct marketers surveyed are keeping their 90-day employment plans intact—”at least for the time being.” Six percent are cutting staff due to the war, and 7% have implemented hiring freezes because of the war. Three of the 302 respondents to the survey said they planned to add staff because of the war.
Among other findings, 59% survey participant plan to add staff this quarter, up from 55% the previous quarter—mostly new hires rather than replacement hirings. The percentage of companies with hiring freezes fell from 30% at the beginning of the year to 22%.