July 22, 1999
DEMAND FOR SALES PROS NEAR RECORD HIGH

(Cleveland, Ohio) - There's no slowing in the demand for sales and marketing professionals in companies across the country, according to the latest hiring survey conducted by Sales Consultants International, a division of Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI). MRI, a subsidiary of CDI Corp., has been conducting the survey for 18 years and notes that projections for the second half of 1999 are not far off the record high set during the last half of 1998.

Of the more than 800 executives surveyed, 60.1% indicated plans to increase their sales and marketing staffs during the second half of the year, up by .7 of a point from the last half. Another 32.6% plan to maintain their current staff sizes, up by 2.5 points, and 7.3% anticipate decreases, down by 4.8 points. MRI President and CEO Allen Salikof commented, "In today's vibrant economy, sales and marketing people play a critical role in a company's growth, but at the same time competition for good sales professionals has never been keener. Companies are struggling not only to find the people they want to hire, but also to devise strategies to keep them from jumping ship."

West 69.2% +8.3 +6.8
South Atlantic 62.4% -2.8 -0.9
New England 62.0% +2.5 -12.7
Southwest 60.5% +1.3 -1.3
National Average 60.1% +0.7 -3.1
Midwest 60.0% +0.5 +3.9
North Central 58.4% +8.1 -4.5
Middle Atlantic 46.6% -15.0 -12.9

"The Mid-Atlantic region is the only part of the country that is significantly below the national average," added Salikof, "but this area experienced a big surge in new hire projections during the first half of the year, so it's possible that the companies there are merely leveling off. Every other region is anticipating incredibly strong demand for sales and marketing people."

The increasing need for sales and marketing professionals covers a wide range of industries. The chart below shows the percentage of those polled who intend to increase their staffs over the next six months:

Retail Trade: 88.0%
Telecommunications: 79.7% Pharmaceuticals: 70.2%
Information technology: 64.7%
National Average: 60.1%
Food: 58.3%
Financial services: 57.0%
Electronics: 50.8%
Healthcare: 50.0%
Insurance: 38.5%
Chemicals: 31.3%

"With so many industries in need of sales talent, companies are often vying for the same people," said Salikof. "Those with the greatest success in getting the ones they want have streamlined the interview process so they can hire people quickly - before another firm makes them a job offer."