Companies are still asking for help in recruiting quality PR execs, but they're finding they can fill out their open board seats on their own.
According to a sample taken from the second quarter of this year by the Association of Executive Search Consultants, the total number of retained executive recruiter searches grew 10 percent over the same quarter last year. Searches for execs in the public relations and advertising industries grew 65 percent over the first quarter of 1999 and 116 percent above the second quarter of last year. Other big jumps occurred in the online media industry, which saw increases of 286 percent over the first quarter of 1999. And the communications industry as a whole grew 34.5 percent over the first quarter and 57 percent over the second quarter of 1998.
On the flip side, board of directors searches dropped 24 percent over the first quarter and 44 percent compared to the same quarter last year. According to AESC experts, boards have been shrinking recently as large corporations have consolidated and board members have become redundant.
(AESC, 212/398-9556, www.aesc.org.)