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New Hires of Middle Managers and Professional Projected for Second Half of 2005

Ternat, 24 June 2005—New hires in the managerial and professional segment of the work force are expected to rise during the second half of the year, according to the latest survey by Management Recruiters International (MRI), the world’s largest search and recruitment organisation. The study was comprised of personal interviews with executives responsible for the hiring of middle management and professional staff at their organisations.

Of the 105 executives interviewed for the study in Belgium, 36.2 per cent indicated plans to make additions to their staff during the second half of 2005. Another 47.6 per cent plan to maintain their current staff levels and 16.2 per cent plan to decrease their staff size.

“A healthy economy and increased productivity are stimulating job growth in Belgium,” said Wim Hernalsteen, Managing Partner of the MRI office in Ternat. “The current low unemployment rate, coupled with anticipated increases in managerial and professional hiring, may create candidate shortages in the short term. Some employers have begun to implement flexible work arrangements and to encourage older workers to remain at their jobs in order to deal with this situation.”

New Hire Plans Span Range of Company Sizes

The highest percentage of projected increases came in the largest companies:

Do Stock Market Fluctuations Influence Hiring?

Survey participants were also asked to what extent stock market fluctuations influence their ability to attract and hire new employees. Only 11.4 per cent reported a substantial effect and the majority indicated that fluctuations had little or no effect:

“Although the stability of the stock market is an important component of a healthy economy, our findings support the idea that companies are not relying on its strength or weakness to make critical business decisions, such as hiring and staffing,” commented Hernalsteen. “As the market continues to fluctuate, companies must rely upon other economic indicators to evaluate the direction of their business and make any necessary staffing decisions to increase market share and drive revenues.”

How Would You Assess the Suppley of Qualified Candidates in Today's Marketplace?

Survey participants were also asked to assess the supply of qualified candidates available in today’s market. Nearly 48 per cent of those surveyed felt that there is a deficiency of candidates with the right skills and qualifications.

International Findings

The MRI International Survey also found that there are plans to increase hiring cross international borders. Following are the findings in other countries surveyed by MRI:

What Are the Key Factors Contributing to Employee Job Satisfaction?

All participants in the MRI International Survey were asked to rank the following factors in order of importance to job satisfaction amongst employees in their industry. Remuneration came out on top, closely followed by work/life balance, while training came bottom of the list.

About the MRI International Survey

This is the 56th in an ongoing series of polls conducted by Management Recruiters International. This latest study surveyed 105 companies in Belgium during May 2005.

About MRI Worldwide

Management Recruiters International, Inc. (www.mrinetwork.com/intl) is the world's largest search and recruitment organisation with over 1,000 offices worldwide and system wide billings of nearly $400 million. MRI is a subsidiary of staffing and outsourcing leader CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI; www.cdicorp.com), a global provider of engineering and information technology project delivery and specialised staffing for Fortune 1000 companies.