NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2003 - The majority of hiring managers say they currently hire new employees only when help is needed (55%) and are doing little advance planning in relation to their company's future staffing needs, according to a just-released survey conducted for The New York Times Job Market. Further, increased employee workload (46%) and increased company sales (45%) were among the top reasons cited by hiring managers when asked to disclose key factors that currently influence their hiring decisions.

Beta Research Corporation, on behalf of The New York Times Job Market, conducted telephone interviews with 250 hiring managers and 200 job seekers in the New York metropolitan area. Job seekers are defined as those who are currently looking or plan to look for a new job in the next six months.

Hiring managers at large organizations (100 employees or more) and small organizations (less than 100 employees) cited the following as primary factors that influence their current hiring decisions:

Employee turnover and company expansion are more likely to influence new employee hiring decisions at large organizations than at small businesses.

Workforce Planning
One-quarter of organizations surveyed (26%) say they currently have workforce planning measures in place. Among this group only 31% benchmark their workforce planning against other organizations.

According to the survey the planning for future hiring needs is done by the company's chief executive officer or president (54%), hiring manager (24%) or human resources manager (16%).

When hiring managers were asked how far in advance their organizations plan future staffing needs, they said:

Hire only when help is needed - 55%
Up to 3 months in advance - 14%
Between 3-6 months in advance - 23%
Between 6-12 months in advance - 6%

Tracking Employee Data
Hiring managers indicated that their organizations track the following type of employee-related information:

Total number of employees - 79%
Average work hours - 76%
Average salaries by job titles - 74%
Benefits - 61%
Job titles/functions - 58%
Job vacancies - 50%
Percentage of employees with diverse background - 45%
Education level of employees - 45%
Number who have quit company - 44%
Temporary staff - 39%
Total laid off - 33%
Total retired - 24%

The employee information tracked by organizations is used for the purposes of recruitment (44%), future staff planning (36%), determining outsourcing needs (33%) or creating professional training programs for employees (33%).

Compared to the average of all companies in the New York City metropolitan area, hiring managers at non-profit organizations say they are more likely to track the following type of information:

Number of employees who have quit - (83% compared to average of 44%)
Number of vacancies in the organization - (76% compared to average of 50%)
Number of temporary employees - (68% compared to average of 39%)
Job titles/functions - (84% compared to average of 58%)
Education level - (91% compared to average of 45%)

Hiring managers at non-profit organizations also say they are more likely to use the employee information they track for the purposes of planning for future staffing needs (66% compared to average of 36%) and outsourcing work to temporary staff employees or consultants (65% compared to average of 32%).

Succession Planning
Four out of 10 hiring managers have succession planning at their organization. Among those surveyed companies with succession plans in place, their plans cover the following job positions:

Through the newspaper's national audience, which includes 5.0 million weekday readers and 5.5 million Sunday readers as well as the 1.2 million readers who visit NYTimes.com every day, The New York Times Job Market reaches a marketplace of high-quality professionals actively seeking new job opportunities or considering career moves.

Each week, The New York Times Job Market issues research on industry trends and workplace practices affecting employers and job seekers in the metropolitan New York region. On a monthly basis, The New York Times Job Market releases its Job Market Confidence Index. The Index tracks current conditions for recruitment in the New York metro area as well as future outlook for the coming six months. Copies of Job Market research reports are available upon request or at NYTimes.com/jobmarket. New York-based Beta Research Corporation, via random telephone interviews, independently conducts The New York Times Job Market research.

NOTE: Job Market research is not affiliated with the editorial operations of The New York Times newspaper and does not reflect the views of the newspaper or its journalists. Source all references to Job Market research as: The New York Times Job Market.

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Contacts:
Diane McNulty, 212-556-5244; E-mail: mcnuldc@nytimes.com
Al Leach, 212-556-4483; E-mail: promo8@nytimes.com