Wales Tourism and Visit Planning

A recent survey conducted by Randall James Monroe, a Dallas-based global executive search consultancy, suggests that executives of major corporations have raised their expectations for improved business conditions over the next six months.
Dallas, TX (PRWEB) January 23 2004--A recent survey conducted by Randall James Monroe, a Dallas-based global executive search consultancy, suggests that executives of major corporations have raised their expectations for improved business conditions over the next six months.

The January 2004 results indicate that executive optimism with regard to business conditions is dramatically trending up from an outlook of just 61% in January 2003 to the most recent numbers reflecting 92% of executives believing conditions within their companies will improve during the first six months of 2004. This may be due, in large part, to steady improvement of stock market conditions and encouraging corporate earnings reports, followed by stabilizing geopolitical conditions.

Optimism in all industry sectors increased. Telecommunications executives showed the largest increase in optimism going from a 44 % to 100 % belief that business conditions will improve over the next six months for their organizations. One-hundred percent (100%) of professional services and manufacturing executives indicated improving business conditions for their companies over the first half of 2004, followed by 93% of software/IT executives, 90% of healthcare executives, 89% of retail executives, and 82% of financial services executives.

A significantly higher percentage of executives responding to the January 2004 survey believe that executive and senior level hiring will increase during the next six months as compared to executives responding a year ago. Forty-five percent (45%) of executives overall see an increase for the 1st half of 2004 versus only twenty-four percent (24%) of executives who responded in January 2003. This increased optimism may be the result of more visible signs of an improving economy that is expected to continue gaining strength as we move through the first half of 2004.

Optimism about executive hiring varies by industry. Ninety (90%) of healthcare executives surveyed expect hiring to increase in the next six months, followed by 48% in manufacturing , 48% in professional services , 45% of those in telecommunications, 37% in software/IT, 36% in financial services, followed by 33% of retail executives.

Despite some industry sectors looking to maintain current headcount, others look to make strategic hires to drive mission-critical business initiatives forward notes James Leverette, President of Randall James Monroe. Compared with this time last year, executives are by and large optimistic, while others remain watchful as some uncertainty in the overall economic outlook remains.

Leverette went on to say, hiring has been a lagging indicator to this point as the economy moves out of recession. However, signs that a recovery is taking place are present in two key areas; the professional services sector, which is characteristically the first to respond -- followed by manufacturing, which is typically the slower moving sector of industry but the most telling pointer that a recovery is taking hold.

The survey was emailed to 500 executives working with some of the 1,000 largest companies in the nation. Over 200 responses were registered. For more information about the survey, you may contact Randall James Monroe, Inc. at 972-392-3200.

[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]