Survey: DM Hiring Freezes Decline
More than two-thirds of direct marketing companies responding to the latest Bernhart Associates Employment Survey plan to add to staff before the end of June.
At the same time, the percentage of companies with hiring freezes has declined for the first time since spring of 2001.
Most of the new hiring will occur in non-catalog mail and database sectors.
Only three out of the more than 100 companies responding said they plan to reduce staff in the coming 3 months, down from 11% last fall. But 30% of companies responding still have a hiring freeze in place.
Jerry Bernhart, president of Owatonna, MN-based DM executive search firm Bernhart Associates, noted that for the first time since the mid -1980’s, there has been an overall decrease in the total salary for top performers, mainly based on reductions in performance bonuses for senior positions.
“By my estimates total compensation for vice president level candidates is, on average, down about 20% so far this year compared with 2001,” he said. “Salaries for mid-level positions have, for the most part, remained flat compared with a year ago.”
Of the 129 direct marketing companies that responded to the e-mail survey, 68% said they plan to add to staff during the current second quarter.
