CHICAGO (Dec. 20, 2017) – BPI group, global experts in leadership, talent, and career transition, today released its latest Executive Employment Trends Report, detailing executive hiring trends in the third quarter of 2017. The report offers visibility into the current executive job market with analyses of the average length of an executive job search and the various factors involved, such as base salary, education level, and age. The findings of the report are based on a nationwide survey of BPI group’s Executive Advisory Services (EAS) clients who began their job searches from Q2 2016 through Q3 2017.

With the overall national unemployment rate dipping to a 17-year low of 4.1 percent in October, BPI group reported its EAS clients landed new roles in an average of 4.6 months, significantly faster than the national average executive job search length of 7.3 months. Executives with a base salary of greater than $250,000 landed new roles in an average of just four months, reflecting continued strong demand for senior executive talent.

“Executive hiring remains very strong as 2017 comes to a close in a very competitive market,” said Steve Spires, Managing Director, Career Services, at BPI group. “Many of our executives reported receiving multiple offers during their job search in the third quarter.”

In addition to taking on new corporate roles, a significant 18 percent of executives decided to start their own businesses in the third quarter, up from 10 percent in the previous quarter.

“These results are indicators of both confidence in the economy and candidates understanding the value of their own expertise and experience,” said Susan G. Gallagher, Bravanti President & Chief Executive Officer. “We are encouraged about our candidates’ prospects for long-term career success.”