DM Hiring on the Rise

The direct marketing job market is opening up again.

Seventy percent of DM businesses plan to add staff during the third quarter compared with 66% that did so in the prior period, notes a survey by Bernhart Associates Executive Search LLC.

Furthermore, only 2% anticipate cutbacks, the lowest since the survey began in 2001. At the beginning of this year, 5% of all companies anticipated cuts, and 8% predicted them during the third quarter of 2004, says Jerry Bernhart, president of the Owatonna, MN firm that conducts the quarterly poll.

Companies are hiring across a wide range of categories, including analytics, account management, copywriting and marketing.

“Analytics consistently has been leading the way for the past year,” Bernhart adds. “Tools and software are becoming more sophisticated and it takes people with technical skills to use them.”