Executive Demand Index Edges Up

ByJohn S. McClenahen Driven in part by a double-digit increase in executive demand among consumer and industrial manufacturing companies, the Executive Talent Demand Index published by ExecuNet, an Internet-based executive job site, increased 1% during the first six months of this year when compared with the first six months of 2002. Between January and June of this year, executive demand among consumer and industrial manufacturing companies rose 10% compared with the first six months of 2002. Executive demand among financial service firms increased 15%, and demand among business service firms increased 14%. Executive demand in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotech industry increased 3%. In contrast, demand for executives in natural resource and base metal industries fell 17%, and demand for executives among high-tech companies dropped 15%. Most in demand during the first half of this year were management information systems and IT executives, up 23% from the first six months of last year. In contrast, demand for general management executives was down 14%, the greatest decrease for any category.