Market Watch
Author: Scott Fiore

Lots of numbers fly over my desk every day. There is one number / ratio that I watch very closely, and lately it’s been improving.
The ratio is the Sales/Recruiting Challenge ratio. Simply put – it looks at what staffing companies are finding more difficult – selling (getting requests from clients) or recruiting (finding candidates).
That ratio – no surprise – in January 2010 was heavily weighted toward Sales. In fact approximately 80% of staffing firms were reporting then that sales was a greater challenge than recruiting. As the economy has improved that relationship has changed as well. For the last few months the relationship has been about even. The slope has leveled – confirming (possibly) what I wrote yesterday, that while hiring has improved – there seems to be a slowdown.
I’ll continue to watch this and other data – and pass along what I think may be of interest.
Scott
Lots of numbers fly over my desk every day. There is one number / ratio that I watch very closely, and lately it’s been improving.
The ratio is the Sales/Recruiting Challenge ratio. Simply put – it looks at what staffing companies are finding more difficult – selling (getting requests from clients) or recruiting (finding candidates).
That ratio – no surprise – in January 2010 was heavily weighted toward Sales. In fact approximately 80% of staffing firms were reporting then that sales was a greater challenge than recruiting. As the economy has improved that relationship has changed as well. For the last few months the relationship has been about even. The slope has leveled – confirming (possibly) what I wrote yesterday, that while hiring has improved – there seems to be a slowdown.
I’ll continue to watch this and other data – and pass along what I think may be of interest.
Scott
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