What's up… is anyone hiring out there?

Yes…. and No.   Some people are hiring but they’re taking their time.  In PR, the average interview to hire timeframe is now 12-16 weeks v. 6-8 weeks from 2 years ago.  But that’s good news…. people are hiring in PR and it’s mostly due to the increased demand for public relations professionals with social media experience.  Clearly PR has taken the lead from marketers and if the trajectory continues, 2010 will be the best year for PR hiring since ’07 , although still down about 20-30% from those lofty numbers.  

So what’s up with the doom and gloom hiring forecast that we see in the media.  Most of the dismal projections are forecast in blue collar positions and not in white collar, service industry position.  At the moment, companies are ready to invest in marketing and PR and capture some of the market share they’ve lost over the past two years… even if it means diminishing profit margins, companies are recognizing the opportunity to generate sales, grap market share and position themselves as industry leaders when the economy does turn around.  The old adage “where there’s chaos there’s opportunity” appears to be the catch phrase for risk-taking twenty ten entrepreneurs trying to kick start some sort of revenue generation in the face of a balky world economy.  Not sure if it’s risk-taking or just business people who are sick of sitting on their hands and just want to get back in the game.   Regardless… there’s action in the marketplace and PR people are getting hired again on a freelance and full-time basis.