Finding a job requires the right qualifications, the right search tools and often the right timing. For job seekers, the right time is the upcoming fiscal quarter in which 41 percent of hiring managers plan to do the majority of their hiring for the year. Twenty-eight percent of hiring managers said they plan to recruit the greatest amount of employees in the third quarter. The new CareerBuilder.com "Life at Work 2004" survey was conducted from February 17, 2004 to February 29, 2004 and included more than 230 hiring managers.

The top three industries that plan to hire in the second quarter are Health Services, Retail and Hospitality. The South ranked number one in plans to hire from a regional standpoint with 33 percent of hiring managers, followed by the Midwest at 29 percent and both the West and Northeast at 19 percent.

"CareerBuilder.com's latest survey is a positive indicator that hiring will pick up in the coming months," said Matt Ferguson, President and COO of CareerBuilder.com. "Nearly one-in-four hiring managers expect to add jobs to expand business, enhance customer service or support new products this year while nearly half will replace workers who left voluntarily or involuntarily. This is good news for new college graduates entering the job market and seasoned workers looking for new opportunities."

In tracking the number of workers that hiring managers plan to recruit, the findings of this new survey show improvement in the percentage of hiring managers planning to hire 100 or more workers this year. The new survey reveals that 21 percent of hiring managers plan to hire more than 100 workers as compared to 13 percent of hiring managers in the CareerBuilder.com "Life at Work 2003" survey (conducted in first quarter of 2003).

Thirty-nine percent of hiring managers reported that it is difficult to find qualified candidates. To help employers target candidates with the most relevant skills and experience for their open positions, CareerBuilder.com offers easy job postings, over 9 million resumes, online career fairs and profiles of skilled and hourly workers.

CareerBuilder.com also offers employers a vast distribution network. Owned by Tribune Company, Gannett and Knight Ridder, CareerBuilder.com features jobs from the classifieds sections of more than 130 newspapers. Including its newspaper affiliations, CareerBuilder.com powers the career sites for more than 350 partners with over 1,200 Web sites reaching national, international, local, industry and niche audiences. These partnerships include exclusive agreements with key portals such as MSN and America Online.

"CareerBuilder.com has seen a forward momentum in recruitment," continued Ferguson. "Our total job postings increased 46 percent comparing February 2004 to February 2003. More employers are recruiting online to reach a larger pool of talent quickly and more effectively."

Survey Methodology

The CareerBuilder survey, "Life at Work 2004," was conducted from February 17 to February 29, 2004 of more than 230 hiring managers. To collect data for the survey, CareerBuilder commissioned SurveySite to use an e-mail methodology whereby individuals who are members of SurveySite Web Panel were randomly selected and approached by e-mail invitation to participate in the online survey. The results of this survey are accurate within +/- 6.39 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche audiences, CareerBuilder.com makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support. Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 400,000 continuously updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in virtually every industry, field and location. Together with Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company , and Knight Ridder, Inc. , CareerBuilder.com includes the Web's top newspaper sites -- the most trusted employment sources in recruiting. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, call 888-670-TEAM or visit CareerBuilder.com at http://www.careerbuilder.com/ .

  Media Contact

  Jennifer Sullivan
  Director, Corporate Communications
  (773) 527-1164
  jennifer.sullivan@careerbuilder.com

SOURCE: CareerBuilder.com