Boston area executives in transition finding new jobs fastest in four years

Through the first 9 months of 2014, January through September, Greater Boston area managers and executives in a career transition found new jobs in an average of 15.5 weeks – more than a month less than the 21 weeks it took them to find new employment during the same period in 2010.

Laid-off employees want to get back to work and take advantage of the improved job market. They are being more flexible and expanding job possibilities to other industries, taking jobs that will leverage their core expertise, while broadening their knowledge-base and their network, even if it’s a lateral move or less responsibility.”

Boston area managers and executives are finding new jobs in the shortest amount of time in four years, according to ClearRock Inc., a leadership development, executive coaching and outplacement firm headquartered in Boston.

Through the first 9 months of 2014, January through September, Greater Boston area managers and executives in a career transition found new jobs in an average of 15.5 weeks – more than a month less than the 21 weeks it took them to find new employment during the same period in 2010.

“The Greater Boston area continues to reflect the job market recovery in the state and the U.S.,” said Laura Poisson, senior vice president with ClearRock.

The statistics are based on 1,271 New England-area managers and executives who received outplacement career counseling assistance from ClearRock during the past four years.

The drop in Massachusetts’ unemployment rate has contributed to the shorter job-search times. Massachusetts’ unemployment rate was 5.8% in August 2014 – a 34% improvement over the state’s 8.8% unemployment rate four years ago.

In addition to the better local economy, other reasons why area managers and executives are finding jobs faster are:

Being more receptive to contract work. 33% of employers planned to hire temporary or contract workers during the last six months of this year, up from 31% last year, according to a survey by CareerBuilder. “Companies are more often hiring employees on a temporary or contract basis, and people are more willing to get on board first and show their new employers what they can do,” said Ellie Eckhoff, vice president with ClearRock.
Greater flexibility. “Laid-off employees want to get back to work and take advantage of the improved job market. They are being more flexible and expanding job possibilities to other industries, taking jobs that will leverage their core expertise, while broadening their knowledge-base and their network, even if it’s a lateral move or less responsibility” added Poisson.

Increasing use of social media in job searches. 76% of companies said that they use or are planning to use social media sites for recruiting, according to a research report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). “More people are finding jobs through making connections on social media websites such as LinkedIn. Employers are also more often directly contacting people for jobs and contract work after searching their LinkedIn profiles,” said Eckhoff.

About ClearRock, Inc.
ClearRock, Inc. is a Boston-based leadership development, executive coaching, and outplacement firm that is recognized for bringing best-in-class offerings to the coaching process. We offer developmental coaching for high-potential managers and executives; new-leader coaching for newly hired or recently promoted managers and leaders; performance coaching to help managers and executives become more effective, and outplacement coaching through a combination of a “high touch” career transition assistance and comprehensive “high tech” resources.

Our coaches and consultants have decades of experience, and our customized approach factors in everything from career goals and organizational objectives to client and consultant/coach compatibility. We tailor action plans for every organization and individual we work with, and our track record speaks for itself – numerous advancements for our coachees, rapid re-employment for our outplacement candidates, and long-lasting client relationships. For more information, visit www.clearrock.com.

Through the first 9 months of 2014, January through September, Greater Boston area managers and executives in a career transition found new jobs in an average of 15.5 weeks – more than a month less than the 21 weeks it took them to find new employment during the same period in 2010.

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