Thirty-Six Percent of New England Executives Have No Hiring Bias Toward Prolonged Unemployment

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - December 2, 2009) - Results from new research released by Veritude, a leading staffing services provider, indicate a positive sign for the New England economy. All surveyed executives in New England, and across the country, are accepting of the economy as a reason for an extended unemployment when reviewing candidates. Specifically, when it came to examining the acceptable length of time for a candidate to be unemployed, 36 percent of responding executives said they did not believe it mattered how long a candidate was unemployed given the recessionary conditions, with 36 percent indicating that six months or less was their ideal length of unemployment.

The survey also revealed that when making hiring decisions, 44 percent of executives have no preference for a candidate's employment status. In addition, one-third of New England hiring managers and human resources professionals are considering rehiring information technology (IT) employees whom they had laid off.

"According to our survey results, it appears that 2010 will be a better year for IT job seekers in New England," said Joe Collins, senior vice president of Veritude. "With half of employers looking to hire back a portion of their laid off IT workers either as full time employees or contractors and employers accepting the economic downturn as a reason for an extended unemployment, IT job candidates should take heart that their employment status will not significantly bias a potential employer."

Although in the minority, 19 percent of those surveyed do prefer candidates who are currently employed as regular, full-time employees. Candidates who are either employed full-time or currently employed as temporary or contract workers are preferred by 22 percent.

Of all hiring executives, 53 percent did not care if a candidate was laid off in a first round as opposed to a subsequent round. While the majority did not have an issue with laid off workers, 17 percent of respondents found it more acceptable if a worker was not one of the first to be laid off.

More information about Veritude's primary research programs can be accessed at www.veritude.com.

Methodology

This primary research was conducted by Veritude in October 2009 as an online survey. Analysis of the results was performed by Attitude Measurement Corporation. In total, 195 executives from across the country took part in the research, 72 of which were from New England. Eighty percent of the New England respondents are IT or human resources professionals with 90 percent claiming that hiring IT staff is either a primary function of their role or that they are somewhat involved with hiring IT staff.

About Veritude

Veritude offers a full suite of temporary staffing, direct hire, and managed services programs. It partners with a wide range of clients in a variety of industries to develop and deliver workforce solutions that adapt to changing business and demographic realities. Veritude's unrelenting commitment to outstanding customer support and candidate quality offers competitive advantages to clients and rewarding career opportunities to associates. Visit www.veritude.com or call 1-800-597-5537 for more information.