Opinion: Watching for Help Wanted Signs

By Scot Melland, CEO of Dice Holdings.

I've heard it said that staying flat is the new up. Given the length and depth of the current recession, it's not surprising that many people - executives, analysts, writers, professionals - would feel that way.

Maybe it's the fatigue that comes with enduring such a prolonged downturn, or even the desire to see good news amidst a sea of poor statistics, but more and more talk seems to be about "reaching bottom" and "green shoots." While certainly, an argument can be made that the recession's worst is behind us, the public pronouncements of optimism are not translating into real economic progress- at least not if you measure progress by jobs.

From where I sit at the helm of a company that helps match employers and employees, I see a difference between managers "feeling better" and their subsequent behavior. Hiring managers and recruiters may believe the recession is moderating, but they're not yet confident enough in their own business performance to beef up their workforces. In fact, the great majority of the country's hiring gatekeepers tell us that they've scaled back their hiring plans for the next six months.

Conversations with our customers tell us they are still hesitant to pull the trigger and we also see it in the results of our mid-year survey of recruiters and hiring managers. Nearly three quarters - 74% - of the hiring managers and recruiters we polled said the economy's continued unsettledness has caused them to pare their hiring at least through the end of 2009.