(Direct Newsline)—Nearly three quarters of direct marketers surveyed anticipate adding staff during the coming three months, with another 11% anticipating a hiring freeze, according to a survey from Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

Only two of the 150 firms the Owatonna MN-based executive recruitment company surveyed indicated they were planning cutbacks—the lowest number since Bernhart began tracking direct marketing employment trends in 2001.

“We’re seeing spot shortages develop in certain job categories that are in big demand, most notably analytics,” said Jerry Bernhart, the firm’s president, in a statement.

“There was a significant jump in the number of companies looking for sales talent, and in fact many of the calls we’re getting on the executive search side are from sales managers who want to add to or upgrade their sales staffs,” he added.

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Nearly three quarters of direct marketers surveyed anticipate adding staff during the coming three months, with another 11% anticipating a hiring freeze, according to a survey from Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

Only two of the 150 firms the Owatonna MN-based executive recruitment company surveyed indicated they were planning cutbacks

Seven in ten direct marketers are planning on adding staff during the third quarter, compared with 66% during the last quarter, according to an employment survey.

Furthermore, only 2% anticipate cutbacks, the lowest level since the survey began in 2001. At the beginning of 2005, 5% of all companies anticipated cuts, and during third quarter 2004, 8% foresaw staff cuts, said Jerry Bernhart, president of Bernhart Associates Executive Search LLC, Owatonna, MN. Bernhart Associates conducts the quarterly survey.

Ten percent report having hiring freezes, a level that has remained unchanged since the beginning of the year. Results are based on completed surveys from 114 executives.

Companies are hiring across a wide range of categories, including analytics, account management, copywriting and marketing.