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Continued Increase in Hiring of Middle Managers and Professionals Projected for First Half of 2005

Philadelphia, PA January 2005—New hires in the managerial and professional segment of the workforce are expected to continue to rise during the first half of 2005, according to the 55th International Hiring Survey released by Management Recruiters International (MRI), the world's largest search and recruitment organization. The study, which is conducted twice a year, was comprised of personal interviews with more than 500 executives responsible for the hiring of middle management and professional staff at their organizations, including contacts from major industry sectors and from most major cities.

A dramatic rise in new hires was projected for the second half of 2004, with 58.2 percent indicating plans to make new hires. That trend has remained stable in the projections for the first half of 2005 with 59.3 percent of the participants intending to make new hires, a 1.1 point increase over last half and an 11.7 point increase over this time last year. This projected rise in new hires in the mid-management segment is supported by the unemployment rates reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for this segment, which has remained under 3 percent for most of 2004.

According to the survey, 36.8 percent of the survey participants plan to maintain their current staff sizes, down .4 of a point from the first half. Only 3.9 percent of survey respondents plan to decrease their staff, down nearly 1 point.

"Companies that have been very cautious about making new hires now seem to be gearing up for expansion," said Allen Salikof, president and CEO of MRI. "They are willing to make an investment in their businesses by adding the staff they need to increase market share. This rise in the number of companies planning to add new hires started during the last half of 2004, and the trend appears to be gaining momentum. We have not seen these kinds of numbers since 2001."

Construction Industry Anticipates Greatest Growth

While construction topped the list, several key industry sectors also plan significant staff additions during the first half of the year:

New Hire Plans Span Range of Company Sizes

Regardless of size, companies are projecting that their plans for early 2005 will include adding staff. The highest number came in companies that employ between 251 and 500 employees, but the margin of difference among all company sizes was relatively small:

"The fact that small- as well as medium-sized companies are anticipating growth in their workforces is a good sign that executives expect the economy to grow at a healthy rate during the first half of the year," said Salikof. "We anticipate that job growth will accelerate, and that some industries may begin to experience a shortage of qualified workers."

International Findings

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

Ongoing National Survey

This is the 55th 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.

About Management Recruiters International

Management Recruiters International, Inc. (www.MRInetwork.com), trading as MRINetwork, is one of the world's largest search and recruitment organizations with more than 1,100 offices in over 35 countries and systemwide billings of nearly $500 million. Management Recruiters International, Inc. is a subsidiary of staffing and outsourcing leader CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI), a global provider of engineering and information technology outsource solutions and professional staffing (www.cdicorp.com).