DALLAS -- A recent survey conducted by The Broadmoor Group, a Dallas-based global executive search consultancy, suggests that executives of major DFW corporations remain optimistic, yet tempered, that business conditions will continue to improve over the next six months. Results confirm that 75% of DFW executives expect business conditions within their companies to improve in the second half of this year, with 22% anticipating conditions to remain the same and just 3% expect conditions to decline. Based on survey responses, DFW executives are clearly more optimistic than those nationwide. Only 61% of executives outside the DFW area expect business conditions within their organization to improve in the next six months.

While 30% of DFW executives expect the hiring of executives to increase in their companies over the next six months, only 11% of executives outside the DFW area anticipate hiring additional executive personnel. Sixty percent of DFW executives and 73% of executives nationwide indicated hiring levels would remain the same with 10% expecting hiring levels to decline in the DFW area, compared to 16% nationwide.

"DFW executives remain generally upbeat, while there still remains some hint of uncertainty in the overall economic outlook. Hiring is on the increase as they see conditions improving," notes The Broadmoor Group. "In the meantime, many industry sectors look to maintain current headcount, while others look to make strategic hires to achieve their most critical business objectives as they move into the second half of the fiscal year."

Optimism regarding business conditions varies by industry, the survey suggests. Manufacturing executives lead the way with 100% expecting business conditions to improve during the next six months in the DFW area. This is followed by 89% of financial services executives, 70% of both professional services and software/IT executives and 38% of telecommunications executives who see business conditions continuing to improve during this time.

DFW financial services executives continue to express the most optimism regarding increased executive hiring within their companies. Thirty-eight percent of those responding to the survey anticipate an increase in executive hiring in the next six months followed by 33% of manufacturing executives, 32% of software/IT executives and 26% of professional services executives. There were no telecommunications executives who expected an increase in executive hiring the remainder of 2002.

The survey was emailed to 500 executives working with some of the 1,000 largest companies in the nation. Over 190 responses were registered. For more information about the survey contact Randall Neal at rneal@Randall-James.com.

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