| Recovery – “what recovery?” say Consulting recruiters |
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| | By Tony Restell,
Founding Director of
Top-Consultant.com
There’s been a flurry
of new hiring “activity”
in the consulting sector
since June of this year,
with recruitment
agencies notably busier
and in many cases
working flat out on new
assignments.
This may have caused
many consultants to
think that the good
times are just around
the corner, at least in
terms of career
progression.
Unfortunately the
reality remains rather
more subdued. Sure
there’s been a rise in
activity, but the actual
number of hires being
made is still near rock
bottom and there’s no
prospect of candidate
shortages propelling
people’s careers anytime
soon.
In a poll I’ve been
conducting these last
days of 100+ UK
consulting recruiters, | |
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| | only 8% believe that an
upturn in hiring got
underway earlier this
year; 38% believe an
upturn is just starting
now; whilst the majority
believe there’ll be no
upturn before 2010. And
whilst the final figures
will only be collated at
the end of September,
the indications are that
these recruiters expect
hiring activity in 2011
to be, at best, 70% of
what it was during the
most recent hiring boom
– and quite possibly
closer to 60%.
If these figures
prove to be at all
accurate then there’s
another tough year of
recruitment prospects
awaiting consulting
candidates in 2010, with
a longer term shift in
the balance of power
between candidates and
employers for those who
stick it out in
consulting. Quite simply
the war for talent that
propelled many a
consultant’s career over
the last years is no | |
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| | longer going to provide
the strong prevailing
wind for career
progression that it has
done in the recent past.
As this reality takes
hold, the interesting
dynamic will be how many
disillusioned
consultants exit the
industry and help to
rebalance the market. If
that figure turns out to
be really high then
candidate shortages
could conceivably be
with us again during the
next couple of years;
but if most stick with
consulting then we look
set for a more prolonged
period when candidate
supply simply outstrips
demand.
Top-Consultant will
be running a careers
event for those weighing
up whether to stick with
consulting or move their
career in an alternative
direction.
Full details here. | |
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