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

(Stockholm) 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 (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 121 executives interviewed for the study, 28.9 per cent indicated plans to make additions to their staffs during the second half of 2005. Another 60.4 per cent plan to maintain their current staff sizes, and 10.7 per cent plan to decrease their staff size.

"Economic growth picked up in Sweden in 2004, after a sluggish 2003. As companies strive to capitalise on the upturn and capture market share, they must add to their managerial and professional staffs," said Margareth Soderlind of MRI. "In the near future, a generation of workers in Sweden will retire, and many industries will most likely begin to experience labor shortages during the next few years."

New Hire Plans Span Range of Company Sizes

Projected increases in hiring are fairly equally spread across all company sizes:

Response Less than 100 100-250 251-500 501-1,000 More than 1,000
Increase 32.0% 20.0% 26.7% 33.3% 32.0%
Decrease 4.0% 20.0% 13.3% 0.0% 16.0%
Maintain 64.0% 60.0% 60.0% 66.7% 52.0%

Do Sock Market Fluctuations Influence Hiring?

Survey participants were also asked to what extent stock market fluctuations influence their ability to attract and hire new employees. None of the respondents reported a substantial effect, and the majority indicated that fluctuations had little or no effect:

Response Percent
Substantial effect 0.0%
An effect, but not large 7.5%
Very little effect 32.2%
No effect whatsoever 60.3%

"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 Soderlind. "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 Supply of Qualified Candidates in Today's Marketplace?

Survey participants were also asked to assess the supply of qualified candidates available in today's market. Over 45 per cent of those surveyed felt that the is a shortage of candidates with the right skills and qualifications.

Response Percent
Surplus of candidates 22.3%
Adequate amount of candidates 32.2%
Deficit of candidates 45.5%

What Are the Key Factors Contributing to Employee Job Satisfaction?

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

Rank Item Rank Points
Compensation 1 1081
Work/life balance 2 893
Benefits 3 799
Relationship with boss 4 721
Recognition/rewards 5 563
Training 6 456

International Findings

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

Region Increase
Thailand 58.7%
Germany 57.6%
Malaysia 55.0%
United States 50.4%
Norway 47.1%
Belgium 36.2%
Switzerland 35.2%
U.K. 36.4%
Portugal 32.9%
Austria 31.4%
Japan 29.1%
Sweden 28.9%

About the MRI International Survey
This is the 56th in an ongoing series of polls conducted by Management Recruiters International. This latest study surveyed 121 companies during May 2005

About MRI
Management Recruiters International, Inc. (www.MRInetwork.com) is the world's largest search and recruitment organisation with nearly 1,000 offices worldwide and system wide billings of over $425 million. MRI 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).

Press Contact

Allie Burns
Financial Dynamics
Phone: +1 202 434 0602
allie.burns@fd.com