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

(Zurich) June 2005—The second half of the year should see a healthy number of new hires in the managerial and professional segment of the work force, according to the latest survey by Management Recruiters International (MRI), the world's largest search and recruitment organization. The study was comprised of personal interviews with executives responsible for the hiring of middle management and professional staff within their organizations. Of the 128 executives interviewed for the study, 35.2 percent indicated plans to make additions to their staffs during the second half of 2005, up by 3.8 points over the first half of the year. Another 57.8 percent plan to maintain their current staff sizes, down by 1.8 points, and only 7 percent plan to decrease staff, down by 2 points.

"We continue to see a steady influx of new hires in the managerial and professional sector of the workforce," said Allen Salikof, CEO of MRI. "Switzerland's stable market economy coupled with a highly skilled labor force has to an extent protected it from the employment woes of some of its European neighbors. Unemployment, in fact, has remained at less than half the EU average."

Growth in New Hires Spans Small to Large Companies

In contrast with the findings of the survey from the first half of the year, new hire projections for the remainder of the year are spread across companies of all sizes, with the largest growth anticipated in the with 501 to 1,000 employees.

"Regardless of the size of their organizations, our clients are strengthening their managerial and professional staffs," said John Steele, managing director of MRI Manserv. "We believe it is a reflection of a healthy economy and a steadily increasing demand for goods and services."

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. Only 10.3 percent 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 Salikof. "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."

International Findings

The MRI International Survey also found that the trend to increase hiring crosses international borders. Following are the findings in other countries surveyed by MRI. Switzerland lies 7th among the 12 countries surveyed.

Ongoing National Survey

This is the 56th in an ongoing series of polls conducted by Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI). MRI has seven offices in Switzerland specializing in a wide range of industries and job functions in the executive and professional sector. A complete directory can be found at www.MRInetwork.com.

MRI is the world's largest search and recruitment organization with more than 1,100 offices in over 35 countries and systemwide 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).