NPA, The Worldwide Recruiting Network reports modest growth in placement activity for 2008. Increases were seen in both the number of placements as well as fee revenue shared by NPA members. NPA members participated in 571 placements, a 2% increase over 2007. Fee revenue also increased by 2% to US$10.2 million dollars. “Even with the economic slowdown, employers need to fill their critical roles, and the marketplace still shows signs of a talent shortage in many skilled occupations,” commented NPA president Dave Nerz.
Gains were noted in the following occupational categories: accounting/finance, banking, information technology, and engineering/design/manufacturing. Activity was flat or declined in the categories of process/chemicals/natural resources/mining/oil & gas/environmental and administrative/ personnel, materials management.
“We are expecting a challenging first quarter,” noted Dave Nerz, “however, as employers regain confidence in the prospects for future business, we see a return to more typical patterns later this year. Demand for skilled talent and strategic recruiting remains high.”
NPA, www.npaworldwide.com, is a member-owned cooperative based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. The membership is comprised of premier independent recruiters on six continents who work cooperatively to complete searches across virtually all industry and occupational sectors. NPA collects data on placements in the following categories: accounting/finance/banking; administrative/human resources/materials/ logistics/operations; process/chemicals/natural resources/mining/oil & gas/environmental; information technology; engineering/design/manufacturing; medical/health care; construction/civil engineering/ architecture; nuclear & fossil power/utilities; software & hardware engineering/electronics development; sales and marketing; and various other niches.
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