Demand for Mid-managers and Professionals Continues to Rise

Business Wire, Jan 29, 2003

Business Editors

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2003

Executives, mid-to-upper level managers, professionals and sales and marketing people can anticipate increased demand for their services during the first half of 2003, according to the latest hiring survey conducted by Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI), the world's largest search and recruitment organization.

MRI is a subsidiary of CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI), a global provider of engineering and information technology project delivery and specialized staffing.

Of the 630 executives surveyed, 45.2 percent indicated plans to make additions to their staffs during the first half of 2003, up by 2.8 points from second half of 2002, and 6.8 points from the same time last year. Another 48.9 percent plan to maintain their current staff sizes, down by .2 of a point, and 5.9 percent plan decreases, down by 2.4 points.

MRI President and CEO Allen Salikof, commented, "Most companies today are running lean in all areas, and especially so when it comes to employees. They have cut their staffs, they have avoided replacing people lost through attrition, and they have increased the workload of remaining staff. We believe that they are now at the point where they have to rebuild and strengthen their organizations to survive and prosper. They are, in fact, already anticipating the return of candidate shortages in key areas."

NEED FOR NEW HIRES VARIES BY INDUSTRY

Plans to hire vary greatly among key industry sectors, as shown by the following percentages indicating plans to increase staff over the next six months:

Industry Increase
Healthcare                                  62.1%
Finance                                     61.7%
Nonprofit/Govt./Education                   48.3%
Construction                                46.4%
Manufacturing                               41.6%
Machinery                                   37.5%
Business Services                           37.0%
Advertising/Marketing                       35.2%
Telecommunications                          30.0%
Technology                                  21.7%

"Some industries anticipate that they will bounce back strongly in the rebounding economy, and their desire to increase their managerial and professional staffs reflects that optimism," said Salikof. "Others are more cautious, adopting a wait-and-see attitude, and still others, like the telecom industry, are finally showing signs of returning stability after a difficult two years."

Ongoing National Survey

This is the 51st in an ongoing series of polls conducted by Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI). The survey was conducted in accordance with the professional and ethical standards of the American Marketing Association and the Marketing Research Association.

Management Recruiters International, Inc. (www.BrilliantPeople.com), is the world's largest search and recruitment organization with more than 1,100 offices worldwide. Based in Cleveland, MRI has systemwide billings of $600 million and places 45,000 people in jobs annually. MRI is a subsidiary of CDI Corp. (www.cdicorp.com), a global provider of engineering and information technology project delivery and specialized staffing for Fortune 1000 companies.